The New York Philharmonic, in partnership with Rolex and in collaboration with Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, and DOC NYC, will present the US Premiere screening of the documentary film El Canto de las Manos, and the directorial debut of actress and filmmaker María Valverde, at the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, on Friday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
El Canto de las Manos centers on the 2022 production of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, now the NY Phil’s Tang Music & Artistic Director Designate, and husband of Valverde, and featuring Coro de Manos Blancas, an ensemble comprising Deaf and hard of hearing performers, as well as performers with visual and cognitive impairments, from Venezuela, plus artists from Deaf West Theatre.
El Canto de las Manos is a feature-length documentary directed by María Valverde and coproduced 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, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. The documentary delves into the challenges and emotions of this experience, revealing how the transformative power of music transcends sounds, breaking barriers and creating new forms of expression. Following its US Premiere at David Geffen Hall, El Canto de las Manos will be in competition at the 2025 DOC NYC film festival. This film was 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).
Before the screening, Dudamel will lead the Juilliard Orchestra, a vocal quartet of Juilliard students, and Deaf actors engaged through Deaf West Theatre in Mir ist so wunderbar, from Fidelio. Following the screening, Bradley Cooper — actor, filmmaker, and New York Philharmonic Board Member — will moderate a discussion with Dudamel, Valverde, and DJ Kurs, artistic director of Deaf West Theatre.
Director María Valverde said of the upcoming screening: “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.”
DOC NYC, the festival for documentaries, takes place annually in November; the 16th edition will be held November 12–30, 2025. The 2024 festival showcased more than 250 films and events with more than 1,000 filmmakers and special guests in attendance. In addition to premiering feature-length and short documentaries, the festival’s highlights also include DOC NYC PRO, a series of in-depth panels and case studies that take place throughout the year; the Visionaries Tribute awards ceremony that honors major figures in the field of nonfiction film; and Pitch Day, for works in progress. DOC NYC is produced and presented by IFC Center, a division of AMC Networks.
Tickets and more information can be found here.
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