“A little boy is looking for his voice in a drop of water. The voice has been taken by the king of the crickets.” This is the impetus of El Niño Mudo by composer Andy Teirstein. A young boy plays his trumpet hesitantly, reaching into a pond and coming up empty handed. A dancer weaves through a stone structure as a xylophonist evokes the chirp of crickets, responding to the mesmeric narration of the vocalist. She tells us that the boy is looking for his voice as she moves slowly atop the installation, her costuming simple but tinged with mystery. Does she hold the key to all this?
El Niño Mudo (The Mute Boy) was inspired by the poem of the same name by Federico García Lorca, published in his poetry collection, Canciones (1927). The musical film is scored for soprano, marimba, and trumpet, with Martha Graham Principle Dancer Xin Ying as the solo dancer and choreographer. As the boy, portrayed by Finn Dewitt, searches, Andrea Jones-Sojola’s mellifluous voice drives the drama as percussionist Valerie Naranjo punctuates the texture with gentle cricket chirps. Beautifully shot by Fernando Minichiello at Opus 40 in Saugerties, New York, El Niño Mudo is a surreal exploration of historical detachment and recovery, a reminder that these problems are not the sole domain of adults.
Here’s what Andy Teirstein had to say about El Niño Mudo:
From the beginning, I envisioned this as a short film with dance, with Finn Dewitt playing the boy, and Xin Ying dancing, in the strange and beautiful setting of Opus 40 in Saugerties, NY. The evocative space was created over 40 years by sculptor Harvey Fite. The poem speaks to me of the impasse often felt in people currently, regarding their past generations, which are largely cut off from them and without viable expression.
About Andy Teirstein
Composer, writer, filmmaker, performer, teacher and producer Andy Teirstein creates new work for the concert hall, film, theater, and dance. A student of Leonard Bernstein and Henry Brant, his music has been described by The New York Times as “ingenious,” and “superbly crafted.” A multi-instrumentalist, he has performed with Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, and as an actor on and off Broadway, on film and TV. His music is inspired by the rich and diverse folk roots of modern culture. He developed courses at NYU that foster collaboration between composers and dancers. He also teaches in the NYU Prison Education Program.
About Andrea Jones-Sojola
Andrea Jones-Sojola is an actress and singer of the stage and screen. Recent credits include A Wrinkle in Time at Arena Stage, and The Music Man and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess on Broadway. Other NYC highlights include Carmen Jones, Once Upon a Mattress, Light in the Piazza, Brigadoon, Sweeney Todd, The Most Happy Fella, Annie Get Your Gun, Parade, Candide, A Little Night Music and Fire Shut up in My Bones. Film/TV credits include For Colored Girls, Monsterland, FBI, The Blacklist, Mozart in the Jungle, The Sound of Music Live! and the new series, American Classic. Voice over projects include New Nigeria, The Lamb, and Strange and Unexplained.
Fernando Minichiello
Fernando Minichiello is a Director of Photography and Creative Producer known for his cinematic storytelling and bold visual style. With over a decade of experience in film, music, fashion, and branded entertainment, his work ranges from large-scale campaigns to intimate, documentary-driven narratives. With a forte for transforming legacy aesthetics into modern, dynamic visions, Minichiello has collaborated with leading artists and global brands. His expertise spans the full creative pipeline—from concept and directing to post-production—bringing a distinctive editorial edge to every project.
About Xin Ying
Xin Ying, interdisciplinary artist and MFA graduate of NYU Tisch Dance, is a Dance Magazine cover star and principal with the Martha Graham Dance Company. The Brooklyn Rail has described her as “posthuman” for her experiments in merging dance and technology. She created MarthaBot, a GPT trained on Graham’s archive, and premiered Lamentation: Dancing the Archive—a volumetric film and AR installation—at Jacob’s Pillow in 2025. That same year, her AI-driven duet Letter to Nobody, which allows her to dance with Martha Graham, premiered at The Joyce Theater. Xin continues to pioneer new forms of digital legacy and embodied memory.
About Valerie Naranjo
Valerie Naranjo has played percussion in NBC’s Saturday Night Live Band for 30 years. She has recorded and performed with Broadway’s The Lion King, the Philip Glass Ensemble, David Byrne, the Paul Winter Consort, Tori Amos, Airto Moreira, Zakir Hussain, and Glen Velez. She was the first woman to perform on gyil in Ghana (first prize Kobine Festival 1996). Born to Ute and Navajo parents of Southern Colorado, Valerie was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame in 2021. She has played gyil on 6 continents, most recently in Beijing and Buenos Aires, and has taught at NYU since 2011.
About Finn Dewitt
Finn has been playing the trumpet since he was 7. He has spent 2 summers at Kinhaven Music School, a summer with the Berkshire Music Camp, and has played with Bridge Arts Jazz lab for five years. In addition to playing the trumpet, Finn is an avid filmmaker. The movie Escape!, won first place in the Tales from the Catskills Amateur Film Competition, and his film Sustainability won two 1st place awards in the My Hero Film Festival. Finn has studied and acted in every Shakespeare play with New Genesis Productions. He is homeschooled & enjoys reading, sculpting, and composing on the piano.
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