Coro de Manos Blancas
Coro de Manos Blancas
The Coro de Manos Blancas (English: White Hands Choir) is a world-renowned performing arts ensemble of the National System of Orchestras and Youth and Children's Choirs of Venezuela (El Sistema). The ensemble was formed in 1995 with the goal of providing children, youth, and adults with disabilities with artistic opportunities, utilizing music as a tool for social development and inclusion.
The Coro de Manos Blancas is made up of over 100 members who form two sections: the Vocal section, directed by professor Luis Chinchilla, made up of children and young adults with visual and cognitive deficits, motor impairments, learning difficulties, autism, as well as invisible disabilities; and the Venezuelan Sign Language (LSV) section, directed by María Inmaculada Velásquez, made up of Deaf and hard-of-hearing musicians. In performance, musical works are joined into a single voice, through singing and sign language, generating new paradigms for the creative arts in society and arts education for people with disabilities.
The White Hands Choir has received support and recognition from renowned conductors, musicians, and singers including Sir Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, Itzhak Perlman, Shoji Sato, Plácido Domingo, Michael Landerburger, Mark Churchill, Patricio Aizaga, Gerald Wirth, Mirella Freni, and Marcus Marshall.
Due to its groundbreaking work, the Coro de Manos Blancas has performed internationally in the United States, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Japan. In 2005, the Choir was named Cultural Heritage of Venezuela. In 2010, the city of Friuli, Italy awarded the group the Nonino Risit d 'Aur Award “for symbolizing a miracle for children and young people with disabilities”. The Choir has been invited to participate in Artistic Residencies at the Salzburg Festival, in the summer of 2013, and Milan, in 2015. In 2017, the Choir went on tour to Japan, which led to the creation of the Tokyo White Hands Chorus by Erika Colon and El Sistema Japan, and to Vienna, Austria in 2018.
In April 2022, members of the LSV section participated in a critically-acclaimed world premiere production of Beethoven’s Fidelio, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Deaf West Theatre. They performed again in the Fidelio revival in May and June 2024 in Los Angeles, Barcelona, Paris, and London.
In July 2024, members of the Coro de Manos Blancas were featured in Coldplay’s music video feelslikeimfallinginlove.
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