Beatrice Venezi will become music director of the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice beginning in October 2026, after the theatre’s governing board formally approved her appointment on Tuesday.
The decision confirms the designation announced last September by the theatre’s superintendent Nicola Colabianchi. According to the foundation, Venezi will take up the position with a four-year contract.
Her appointment has been controversial within the Venetian opera house. Since the announcement in September, La Fenice’s workers — including members of the orchestra — have staged protests, assemblies, and strikes, arguing that the conductor’s professional experience does not match the level traditionally associated with the position at the historic theatre.
Union representatives have repeatedly stated that their criticism is not directed at Venezi personally, but rather at what they consider an insufficient artistic résumé for such a prominent role.
The appointment has also drawn attention in Italy because of Venezi’s proximity to the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, although both the theatre’s leadership and the Italian Ministry of Culture have defended the decision.
Venezi, who is 36, has conducted in several European and Latin American theatres in recent years and has appeared as a resident guest conductor at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Her tenure at La Fenice is scheduled to begin in October 2026.
Subscribe to our newsletter