Overview
- The Fondazione Teatro La Fenice said it ended all future work with Beatrice Venezi, with superintendent Nicola Colabianchi citing repeated public statements he called offensive to the theater and its orchestra.
- The break followed her interview with Argentina’s La Nación in which she said orchestra seats at La Fenice pass from parent to child.
- The theater’s union called the claim false and offensive, saying La Fenice hires players through international public competitions based on merit.
- Protests by musicians and staff had escalated, including a strike that canceled a performance and a march in Venice joined by workers from other opera houses.
- Venezi said her words were distorted and that she faced months of defamation, and reports noted her ties to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as part of a wider debate over politics in cultural appointments.