LA Phil Presents

West Coast Premiere Screening of

EL CANTO DE LAS MANOS

Directed by María Valverde

Documentary on Gustavo Dudamel-Led Production of

Beethoven’s Fidelio with Coro de Manos Blancas,

Chorus of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and

Visually and Cognitively Impaired Performers

LOS ANGELES (October 17, 2025) - The Los Angeles Philharmonic presents a West coast premiere screening of the documentary film El Canto de las Manos. The directorial debut by actress and filmmaker María Valverde, at Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 10, 2025 at 8PM.

El Canto de las Manos is a documentary about the power of music to serve as a place of unity and expression. It centers on the 2022 production of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel — the LA Phil’s Music & Artistic Director, and husband of Valverde — and featuring the Coro de Manos Blancas — an ensemble comprising deaf and hard of hearing performers, as well as performers with visual and cognitive impairments, from Venezuela — and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The innovative, semi-staged production, created for both deaf and hearing audiences by Dudamel and Valverde through the Dudamel Foundation, featured both Venezuelan Sign Language (LSV) by deaf actors and singing by hearing vocalists.

El Canto de las Manos is a production of Quinchoncho and Forty Entertainment, made in association with The deNovo Initiative and The Breathe Project, with the support of the Hilti Foundation, the Riegler & Deutsch Foundation and Porticus and the Community Arts Network (CAN).

Valverde says, "Music is not only the inspiration and driving force in the lives of these brilliant deaf artists, but also their refuge and salvation. This is a story of justice — of how art transcends the visible and transforms its protagonists into guides who illuminate a new way of experiencing music, one that comes from a deeper level of awareness; a declaration of freedom and dignity."

Following the screening, acclaimed director Ava DuVernay (of Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated Selma, the Oscar-nominated documentary 13^th and others) will moderate a discussion with Dudamel, Valverde and Deaf West Theater Artistic Director DJ Kurs.

Tickets

Tickets for the 25/26 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall are now available online at laphil.com or via phone at 323-850-2000.

About the Film

El Canto de las Manos is a feature-length documentary directed by María Valverde and co-produced by Forty Entertainment and Quinchoncho. The 2025 film explores deafness through music, following Jennifer, Gabriel, and José — three deaf musicians who are members of Venezuela’s Coro de Manos Blancas — as they bring Beethoven’s Fidelio to the stage in sign language for the first time, joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. The documentary delves into the challenges and emotions of this experience, offering a unique perspective on the connection between sound and silence. Following its US Premiere at David Geffen Hall, El Canto de las Manos will be in competition at the 2025 DOC NYC film festival. 

About María Valverde

I have spent two decades in the world of acting.

I always wanted to be an actress, and that dream became a reality thanks to the support and effort of my parents. My dream grew beyond anything I ever imagined or planned. When I was fifteen, film director Manuel Martín Cuenca chose me to star in what would become my first movie. Thanks to that project, I won a Goya Award for Best New Actress. That’s how my exciting career began.

I started traveling around the world working on films, television series, and theater productions with directors such as Luca Guadagnino, Jordan Scott, David Trueba, Alberto Arvelo, Ridley Scott, Asif Kapadia, Koldo Serra, Mélanie Laurent, Cédric Klapisch, Andrés Wood, and Claudia Llosa, among others. They became my mentors and guides.

Acting has been and continues to be my life, but a few years ago I began to take an interest in other things that fill my heart. My husband and I led the Dudamel Foundation to create opportunities through art, culture, and music, allowing young people to shape their creative future and become role models in their communities.

I wanted to become a film director because of my two great passions: acting and creating opportunities. For a long time, I felt the need to tell and shape my own stories to approach truth from a different perspective. In this documentary, I see the perfect opportunity to develop those stories.

About Coro de Manos

Coro de Manos Blancas is a world-renowned performing arts ensemble that arose from the Special Education Program of Venezuela’s El Sistema. The Coro 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.

About Gustavo Dudamel

Gustavo Dudamel is committed to creating a better world through music. Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of art to inspire and transform lives, he has worked tirelessly to expand education and access for underserved communities around the world, and to broaden the impact of classical music to new and ever-larger audiences. His rise, from humble beginnings as a child in Venezuela to an unparalleled career of artistic and social achievements, offers living proof that culture can bring meaning to the life of an individual and greater harmony to the world at large. He currently serves as the Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and in 2026 he becomes the Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, continuing a legacy that includes Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein. Throughout 2025, Dudamel will celebrate the 50th anniversary of El Sistema, honoring the global impact of Jose Antonio Abreu’s visionary education program across five generations, and acknowledging the vital importance of arts education. 

About the LA Phil

Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multi-genre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs as YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on four historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, The Ford, and Beckmen YOLA Center—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.