White Hands Choir joins LA Phil and Deaf West Theatre for “Fidelio” in April 2022
White Hands Choir (Coro de Manos Blancas) Photo by Armando García, 2022.
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.
Told through the composer’s music sung by hearing vocalists and the expressive gestural poetry of sign language by Deaf actors, the performances explore the search for communication—both primal and sublime—that is at the heart of all artistic expression.
Fidelio, which premiered in its final form in 1814 conducted by the composer himself who was almost completely deaf by that time, is a tale of triumph over oppression as the noblewoman Leonore goes undercover to daringly rescue her husband from political imprisonment. This production was inspired by Gustavo’s visit to the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, Germany — to Gustavo, what was perceived by some as a limitation, in reality, was actually reinforcing and furthering Beethoven’s creativity.
Artists
Deaf West Theatre, produced by DJ Kurs
White Hands Choir (Coro de Manos Blancas)
Luís Chinchilla, General Director
María Inmaculada Velásquez, Gestual Choir Director
Christiane Libor, Leonore
Ian Koziara, Florestan
Gabriella Reyes, Marzelline
Jose Simerilla-Romero, Jaquino
Ryan Speedo Green, Rocco
Shenyang, Don Pizarro
Ethan Vincent, Don Fernando
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Grant Gershon, Artistic Director
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Alberto Arvelo, director
Joaquín Solano, co-director
Gabriela Camejo, artistic producer, Karibanna Content
Solange Mendoza, costume designer
James F. Ingalls, lighting designer
Performances
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Venue
Walt Disney Concert Hall
151 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
