La Fenice Sacks Incoming Music Director Beatrice Venezi After Nepotism Claims

Venice’s prestigious La Fenice opera house has dismissed its incoming music director, Beatrice Venezi, 36, months before she was due to commence her role. The termination follows an interview in an Argentine daily where Venezi insinuated that positions in the opera orchestra were “practically passed down from father to son”, causing significant ire among the musicians.

Venezi stated, “I have no godfathers. That is the difference. I do not come from a family of musicians,” adding that her detractors were “afraid of change, of renewal.” La Fenice announced her sacking days later, citing “repeated and serious public statements, which were offensive and damaging to the artistic and professional standing” of the theatre and its orchestra.

Venezi’s appointment had been contentious since its announcement last September. Critics alleged that her youth and relative inexperience for such a prominent role were outweighed by her close ties to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Venezi, whose father was a former leader of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, has served as a musical consultant for the Ministry of Culture since 2022. In October, a workers’ union strike protested her appointment, with many staff questioning her credentials.

An open letter to La Fenice General Manager Nicola Colabianchi from staff highlighted that Venezi’s resume was “not remotely comparable to that of the great conductors who have previously held the post.” During the traditional televised New Year’s Eve concert, choir, orchestra, and technical staff wore golden pins to signal their displeasure. Audience members also expressed discontent, throwing flyers reading “Music is art, not entertainment” after several performances.

Venezi affirmed her acquaintance with Prime Minister Meloni, describing her as a “powerful, competent woman,” but denied any political involvement. Meloni’s office has since denied authorising Venezi’s sacking, contrary to a report by the Corriere della Sera that suggested Meloni had approved the decision due to “the accumulation of controversy.”