
Dolores
Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
Orchestra Preview
In English with English Surtitles
August 13 in San Francisco
Dolores Huerta is a legend in the fight for farm workers’ rights. In June of 1968, the movement lost a major ally and Dolores lost a friend when Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. The opera focuses on Dolores’ struggles, triumphs, and tragedies during some of the most iconic and charged weeks of American history.
Dolores is the first commission to come out of our project Aperture. Created during the height of COVID, Aperture members watched the development of Dolores online 2020-2021. We now invite you to an hour-long program featuring excerpts from the opera, in person.



photo credit: Harvey Richards Media Archive



Nicolás Lell Benavides
Composer
Marella
Martin Koch
Librettist
Mary Chun
Music Director

Kelly Guerra
Dolores Huerta
David Castillo
Larry Itliong
Jesús Vicente Murillo
César Chávez




Alex Boyer
Robert F. Kennedy
Samuel Faustine
Tricky Dick
Chelsea Hollow
Ethel Kennedy
Sergio Gonzalez
Rafael
Dolores is Commissioned by West Edge Opera with co-commissioners: Opera Southwest in Albuquerque; The Broad Stage in Santa Monica; and San Diego Opera.
It will have a rolling premiere in 2024/25.