Joining Deaf West Theatre and the LA Phil’s historic production of Fidelio are twelve young members of Coro de Manos Blancas (White Hands Choir). The choir is one of the leading ensembles of Venezuela’s acclaimed music education program El Sistema and was created to integrate young people with physical and cognitive disabilities into music-making and the arts.

In performance, the choir’s members—all of whom are Deaf—act as a single voice through the movement of their bodies and gestural language. Fidelio was originally staged with the choir in April 2022. In anticipation of their return to Los Angeles for its revival in May 2024, members reflected on their experiences with the production through the paintings, drawings, and essays you’ll find excerpted below.

Alejandro Gimenez

Alfonso López

"The experience of learning theater techniques is new for me. It has made me feel emotions, some fear, but also made me acquire the discipline to understand that I can do more things. I want to learn to be able to understand characters and be inside the work as if it were real life. Working on Fidelio has given me the opportunity to develop myself in theater while getting to know other places and people."

Dayana Onofrietti

Dayana’s three paintings were created in the months following the 2022 production of Fidelio and depict her growth as an artist, including the third image about which Dayana writes, “When a woman is an artist, she has as many faces as the stars.”

Dodanim Castillo

"It felt incredible to take on the challenge of Fidelio, which was different from anything I had done before. I’ve been in the choir since 2010, and this took it to another level. We experienced great learning moments in which we discovered more than ever what support and teamwork means. We also discovered new dimensions to our passion, discipline, and dedication to our work, expressing ourselves beyond the barriers of any limitation."

Jessica Montes de Oca

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in Fidelio in which I sing, act, and give myself over to Beethoven and his message of freedom."

Jesús López

"I had been in the White Hands Choir for many years. When they gave us the news that we had been selected to do an opera in sign language, they mentioned the name 'Fidelio,' which was new to me. What’s more, as a Deaf person, I did not know the concept of 'opera.' It was only when we began the translation process that we began to understand what an opera was, and by reading and analyzing the text, to understand the true meaning of Fidelio, an opera that represents freedom. It represents the fight for the human ideal and seeking freedom through love."

Yeison Escobar

“For me, performing in Fidelio represents integration and social inclusion. It opened my eyes to a new way of carrying out my art. I am so grateful to Maestro Dudamel for having the idea to choose a group of Deaf people to do something unprecedented worldwide and to show everyone that there are no limits to your dreams and what you can achieve. Through the project, I came to understand how to act, how to make opera, and how to tell a story through my body. By giving Deaf performers like me an equal opportunity to perform, Fidelio has shown me that I can have a future in this field.”