DOLORES

Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch

Partners Include: BroadStage in Santa Monica, Opera Southwest, San Diego Opera, Campo Santo at The Magic Theatre

A young woman holds a cardboard sign that reads 'Huelga' in capital letters, standing against a clear sky with power lines visible in the background.
WORLD PREMIERE 2025

Lead Creative Team

  • Close-up of a young man with dark hair, glasses, a beard, and earrings, wearing a black shirt, against a plain background.

    Nicolás Lell Benavides

    COMPOSER

  • Portrait of a woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a black leather jacket and green shirt, looking at the camera against a gray background.

    Marella Martin Koch

    LIBRETTIST

  • A man with a goatee and bald head, wearing a black button-up shirt, looking at the camera with a slight smile, in an indoor setting with glass and metal in the background.

    Octavio Cardenas

    DIRECTOR

  • A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a purple jacket and gold necklace.

    Mary Chun

    MUSIC DIRECTOR

  • A portrait of a smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing red glasses, earrings, a black blazer, and a patterned blouse, standing outdoors with a blurred background.

    Karina Gutiérrez

    DRAMATURG

Dolores is the second complete length opera to be commissioned and developed by West Edge Opera. Dolores was initially commissioned in 2021.

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.

Commissioners & Supporters Include: Steve Fletcher & Carl Croft, Christina & Kenneth Hecht, Terry McKelvey & Heli Roiha, Heidi Munzinger & Jonn Shott, William & Linda Scheiber, Carol Franc Buck Foundation, Alice Ditson Fund, The Fleishhacker Foundation, Sam Mazza Foundation, Phyllis Wattis Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Zellerbach Foundation.

The development of Dolores is taking place over the course of three years, with a series of milestones built into the process including:

January 2022 | A libretto reading with actors from Campo Santo at The Magic Theatre, led by Sean San Jose.

January 2023 | A piano-vocal workshop of Dolores at The Order of Odd Fellows, led by conductor Mary Chun and dramaturg Karina Gutiérrez.

August 2023 | Preview Performance at The Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco.

August 2024 | A complete piano vocal workshop at The Oakland Scottish Rite Center.