Tension at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice after the announcement of the appointment of Beatrice Venezi as the new music director of the famous opera house, among the most prestigious in the world. On Sept. 22, 2025, the Teatro La Fenice Foundation officially announced in a note the decision, which was “unanimously approved by the Foundation’s president, Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, and all the board members,” and “matured as a result of fruitful talks and the willingness shown by the Maestro.” Venezi will take office in October 2026, with a term that will run until March 2030. President Brugnaro and the Board, reads the Foundation’s note, “expressed great satisfaction with the choice, stressing that the appointment of Maestro Venezi represents a significant added value for the theater’s activities in terms of professionalism, international visibility, energy and renewal. The significance of this designation, which sees one of the few female figures take on an apex role in the panorama of major international opera houses, was also highlighted, confirming the global and innovative vocation of La Fenice.”
The decision, however, sparked strong protests within the orchestra. In fact, the musicians sent a letter to Superintendent Nicola Colabianchi publicly calling for the revocation of Beatrice Venezi’s appointment.
“We learned exclusively through the press of your decision to appoint Conductor Beatrice Venezi to the Musical Direction of the Theater - in blatant contrast to your public statements and to what you reported in meetings with union representatives. This is an act that profoundly undermines the trust that the orchestral professors had placed in Your word and Your ability to transparently guide the Institution,” begins with these words the letter from the Teatro La Fenice Orchestra to the Superintendent. In fact, the orchestral professors claim that within the theater the name of Director Venezi had never been mentioned as a possible candidate for the important role, but their opposition, the letter reads, “stems exclusively from the professional profile of the designated music director. Director Venezi has never conducted either an opera title or a public symphony concert on the Fenice’s program. His resume is nowhere near that of the great batons who, in the past, have served as Music Director of this theater. Venezi has never conducted in the major international opera houses, nor does his name appear on the billboards of the most important festivals on the world music scene. Where, then, is the ”international talent“ that should be at the helm of La Fenice? What prospects for high-profile relations in the musical world does this appointment open up?”
“The consequences of your decision are already visible: just twenty-four hours after the announcement there are cancellations from longstanding subscribers - a damage not only economically for the theater, but, above all, of image and credibility,” the letter continues. “We consider it unacceptable to sacrifice the trust of a loyal audience, built and maintained over time even through enormous difficulties, for an appointment that guarantees neither artistic quality nor international prestige.” “In light of what has happened,” it concludes, “it seems clear that the relationship of trust between the Orchestra and the Superintendent is now irreparably compromised. We cannot recognize in her the leadership of our theater. With a sense of responsibility to the public and the Fenice tradition, we publicly call for the revocation of the appointment of Director Beatrice Venezi.”
The letter also challenges the manner of the appointment, pointing out that the apology stated in a communication from the superintendent delivered on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 23, to the Orchestra is “inadmissible.” In the letter of apology, Colabianchi stated that for weeks Beatrice Venezi’s name had been circulating insistently in the press and that the media debate risked damaging the image of the theater, “transforming a potential artistic choice into a political battleground”: “to initiate a lengthy formal procedure would have meant letting others, on the outside, dictate the agenda and wear down the institution for months. Therefore, my choice was to act to regain control of the situation and to protect the Theater from an external debate that had nothing to do with our mission. It was not a matter of haste, but of fear of continued and repeated controversy that could have interfered with the choice process: it was therefore an initiative that I deemed necessary to avoid certain greater harm.” He further states that “M° Venezi’s contract calls for the direction of one major event, three concerts and two operas per season. What does this mean in practical terms? It means that the vast majority of our activity will feature, as always, internationally renowned conductors of different stylistic orientations on the podium. The appointment is therefore not a replacement, but an addition.” On the reason for this choice he states, “Having a talented, female, young conductor in Venice with strong international media visibility is an investment in the future of La Fenice. This focus is not an end in itself: it translates into more interest from sponsors and patrons, new partnership opportunities, and ultimately, more resources.”
Now after a well-attended general meeting of the theater’s workforce, which gave its support to the orchestral workers’ request and declared a state of agitation, Superintendent Colabianchi still confirms the choice: “She is very good, she is young and a woman, and she can enable La Fenice to sketch new paths and attract young people.” “I don’t explain this rigidity. It is incomprehensible, I don’t know what reasons dictate it,” he concludes.
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| La Fenice Theater, state of unrest after Beatrice Venezi's appointment as new music director |
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