Teatro La Fenice, the prestigious Venice opera house, has fired its incoming music director Beatrice Venezi after months of controversy over her appointment and subsequent public statements. The 36-year-old conductor and pianist was due to become the theatre’s first female music director in October, but the La Fenice Foundation said on Sunday it had decided to “cancel all future collaborations” with her.
The decision follows Venezi’s remarks in a newspaper interview in which she suggested that jobs at the theatre were “practically passed down from father to son’ and accused the management of being “anarchic” and too influenced by unions. She also claimed that season ticket holders were all “over 80” and that the orchestra was afraid of change and renewal. The foundation said her “repeated public statements” were “offensive and detrimental to the artistic and professional value” of the opera house and its orchestra.
Venezi’s appointment last September was strongly opposed by orchestra musicians and staff, who voted to strike, arguing she lacked sufficient experience and was chosen due to her close connections with Italy’s far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni. Audience members also protested by throwing leaflets bearing the slogan “Music is art, not entertainment” at performances. Venezi’s father is a former member of the neofascist party Forza Nuova, and she currently serves as a music adviser at Italy’s culture ministry.
Meloni’s office denied any involvement in the firing, calling reports that she supported the decision “completely unfounded”. Italy’s culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, said the decision was made independently and hoped it would “clear the field of misunderstandings, tensions and exploitation of any kind”.
