Michele Tadini to succeed Caterina Barbieri at Venice Biennale Music

The Italian composer and researcher will lead the Music Department in 2027–2028. His first festival will take place from October 2 to 16, 2027.

Michele Tadini has been appointed artistic director of the Music Department of La Biennale di Venezia for 2027–2028, succeeding Caterina Barbieri. The appointment was approved by the institution’s Board of Directors, chaired by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, and announced on October 30.

The Biennale thanked Barbieri for her commitment and the results achieved during her two editions. The next International Festival of Contemporary Music, the first under Tadini’s direction, will take place in Venice from October 2 to 16, 2027.

A career connecting composition and technology

Born in Milan in 1964, Tadini studied guitar, composition and electronic music at the city’s Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory. His work spans instrumental music, theatre, dance, cinema, radio and installations, with a particular interest in the relationship between sound, images and interactive technologies.

He co-directed the Milan-based research centre Agon with Luca Francesconi, collaborated in the direction of Florence’s Tempo Reale and teaches composition for instruments and electronics at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon.

Tadini has participated in the Biennale’s Music, Dance and Architecture activities. In 2025, he curated Arcipelago Battiato, a special project of the institution’s Historical Archive devoted to Franco Battiato.

Commenting on the appointment, Buttafuoco highlighted Tadini’s contribution to electronic music and real-time interaction systems, alongside the interdisciplinary character of his work.

Tadini expressed gratitude for the appointment and emphasised his responsibility towards audiences and music itself. He said his artistic project would develop through dialogue and collaboration with the Biennale team. Details of the 2027 programme have yet to be announced.