Throughout his musical upbringing in Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel rehearsed and led the Coro de Manos Blancas in various programs through El Sistema, notably conducting their first-ever symphonic concert at age 18. In 2020, he envisioned a new production of Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, to mark the composer’s 250th anniversary of his birth, which explores his identity as a deaf artist.

Beethoven, one of history's most popular and influential composers was, for over half of his life, hard-of-hearing and completely deaf. In fact, when he conducted the premiere of Fidelio in its final form in 1814, Beethoven withdrew from public life because of it. When Gustavo visited the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, Germany and fully immersed himself in the composer’s life, it was clear to him that what was perceived by some as a limitation, in reality, was actually reinforcing and furthering the composer’s creativity.

Gustavo began developing this innovative approach to Fidelio with director Alberto Arvelo, which places the Deaf artists at the opera’s narrative core, a story itself which speaks to limitations of personal freedom and the fight to overcome obstacles. Through the support of the Dudamel Foundation, the Coro de Manos Blancas prepared to perform Fidelio in a tour throughout Europe with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in April 2020. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production was forced to a halt.