In an explosive follow-up to her dismissal from Teatrale La Fenice, conductor Beatrice Venezi has struck back against the institution and her former political allies. Speaking from Los Angeles in an exclusive interview with Corriere della Sera, Venezi described herself as the victim of a “hate campaign” and claimed she was used as “cannon fodder” by the Italian right before being discarded.
The conductor, who was fired following accusations of nepotism within the Venetian orchestra, clarified her stance while doubling down on her criticism of the theater’s management.
Betrayal by the Meloni government Perhaps the most shocking revelation was Venezi’s critique of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Despite being long considered a protégé of the current administration, Venezi claimed that the political world has left her “isolated.”
“If I could go back, I would not yield to Meloni’s insistent request to perform at a Fratelli d’Italia convention in 2022,” Venezi stated, citing the immense professional damage she has suffered due to the political labels attached to her. “This Right needed my clean face; they used me and then threw me away.”
Venezi noted that while she received messages of solidarity from figures like Matteo Salvini, she has had “no contact with Rome” regarding her firing, suggesting a definitive rift with the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Accusations of bullying and mismanagement Venezi turned her sights on La Fenice’s superintendent, Nicola Colabianchi, accusing him of acting as a “Trojan horse” for left-wing unions. She alleged that the theater permitted a “climate of bullying” and a “defamatory campaign” against her, including the distribution of protest flyers and pins by orchestra members.
Regarding her controversial comments on nepotism, Venezi named specific examples, such as members of the Trentin family, suggesting a “competitive advantage” for those with musical lineages. “I do not come from a genealogy of musicians; I made it on my own,” she told Corriere.
Legal action on the horizon The conductor also dismissed criticisms of her professional résumé—previously questioned by veterans like Fabio Luisi—attributing the backlash to “fear of the new.” She further provoked the Venetian ensemble by stating that, in her view, the Fenice orchestra “does not even rank among the top one hundred” internationally.
Venezi confirmed that her legal team is currently building a case for a lawsuit against the Foundation. “I was treated like a foreign body to be expelled from the system,” she concluded, vowing to stay away from politics in the future.
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