White Hands Choir

After a wonderful two days working with the chamber choir in Carora, Thursday was a day we had all been waiting for: the White Hands Choir. However, instead of a muestra (showcase), we had the extra fortune of sitting in on a rehearsal which none of the teachers at the Conservatory had done. They began with a "Gloria" and, aside from being stunned with the tonal quality of the choir, I truly saw what it meant to be accessible to all. Visually, aurally, cognitively, and motor skills impaired, people in wheel chairs, and not only children. And then out of my right peripheral vision, I saw a sea of white gloves doing sign language. If that wasn't enough, at the end of the piece, even the deaf children sang "amen."

As I mentioned earlier, the objective of this choir was to enable the children to speak since they can't speak if they don't hear. Music is giving them the opportunity to do so. The director then invited us to join the choir where we sang "Ave Verum Corpus," and Carlos, Diogo, and Monique joined the White Hands part of the choir. I will admit that, knowing I have a strong voice, I thought I would have to not sing full voice, but I was completely wrong. The strong sound that completely surrounded me was amazing and to think of the diverse composition of that sound is something I will not forget.

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Sara Zanussi
Sistema Fellow '13