The New York Philharmonic, in partnership with Rolex and in collaboration with Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, and DOC NYC, is set to present the U.S. premiere screening of the documentary film “El Canto de las Manos,” the directorial debut of actress and filmmaker María Valverde.
The film will be screened at the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, on Nov. 7, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
“El Canto de las Manos” centers on the 2022 production of Beethoven’s opera “Fidelio,” conducted by Gustavo Dudamel 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 artists from Deaf West Theatre.
Dudamel will be present for the screening and 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: “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.”