Deaf West Theatre, LA Phil, Coro de Manos Blancas, and the Dudamel Foundation partnered to create inclusive experiences for Deaf communities across the United States, Venezuela, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom during the 2024 European tour of Fidelio.

In this innovative production, the story of Beethoven’s Fidelio is told through the composer’s music by hearing and Deaf musicians. The groundbreaking collaboration began with the opera's initial staging in April 2022. As the Coro de Manos Blancas prepares to return to Los Angeles for the May 2024 revival, we asked them about their experience performing and touring with the production.

The White Hands Choir (El Coro de Manos Blancas) began rehearsals earlier this month in Venezuela for the upcoming 2024 tour and European premiere of the groundbreaking production of Beethoven’s opera, Fidelio. They will return to LA in May 2024 to begin rehearsals and performances for the LA performance and European tour.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Deaf West Theater are working on an innovative production conceived for both hearing and deaf operagoers.

“On stage, the audience witnesses a world with a mix of hearing and deaf people. ‘It’s a way of educating us to in being open to worlds we’re not used to. The collaboration of everyone leads to understanding the language of the soul in an opera,’ says Maria Valverde, co-chair of the Dudamel Foundation.”

The White Hands Choir (Coro de Manos Blancas) is a musical ensemble where young people come together to form a chorus divided into two sections — Vocal and Venezuelan Sign Language (LSV) — which merge to give rise to a new proposal for musical expression.

Through the support of the Dudamel Foundation, El Sistema’s White Hands Choir (Coro de Manos Blancas) is coming to Los Angeles, CA in April 2022 to join Gustavo, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the acclaimed Tony Award®-winning Deaf West Theatre in a deeply emotional, innovative new semi-staged production of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, created for both Deaf and hearing audiences.

The Gustavo Dudamel Foundation is bringing the Coro de Manos Blancas (White Hands Choir) of Venezuela to Europe on a tour with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in April 2020, which will celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday by exploring his identity as a deaf artist.