El Sistema • White Hands Choir 1
JOHN RUTTER Ave María
ATHOS PALMA Gloria
CÉSAR ALEJANDRO CARRILLO O Magnum Mysterium
WOLFGANG A. MOZART Ave verum corpus, K. 618
BILLO FRÓMETA / VIRGILIO ARRIETA Canto a Caracas - Lara es una sola
Adaption by Gustavo Flores
FRANCISCO CÉSPEDES Vida loca
Adaption by Gustavo Flores
ADELIS FREITES Las cosas bellas de lara (Merengue Venezolano)
Adaption by Gustave Flores
ÁSTOR PIAZZOLLA La muerte del ángel
Adaption by Liliana Cangliano
OSCAR GALIÁN Salseo
ÁNGEL BRICEÑO Adiós
Adaption by Hugo Filoía
Gabán (Folklore Venezolano)
Adaption by Rafael Suarez
ADELIS FREITES Los dos gavilanes
Adaption by Luis Chinchilla
We thank for the support and collaboration:
Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar. Órgano Rector del Sistema Nacional de las Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela. Tocar y Luchar.
End of concert approx. 15:50.
Print programme (PDF)
The White Hands Choir is part of the El Sistema Special Education Program, which was founded in 1995 in order to integrate people with handicaps into society more fully through music. Here, children with and without handicaps meet and enjoy playing together. The idea of uniting children with physical and mental handicaps, children with difficulties hearing and even deaf-mute children in one chorus was born in 1999. The unusual ensemble is divided into two groups: children with movement, visual and cognitive disorders form the actual chorus. Their singing is transformed by the other group, children with impaired hearing, mute or deaf-mute children, into an expressive choreography of flowing hand movements, their hands clad in white or coloured gloves. World-famous conductors like Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado have been deeply impressed by these children. Today, twelve such choruses exist in Venezuela, and their extraordinary abilities have attracted international attention through recordings and TV broadcasts for stations in Germany and Switzerland. Following the invitation from the Salzburg Festival, the White Hands Choir travels abroad for the first time to present two live concerts at the Mozarteum Foundation. For the organizers in Venezuela and Salzburg, but most importantly for the handicapped children and teenagers, this presents an enormous challenge.