Overview
- The foundation’s Council of Address formally approved the appointment in a meeting attended by Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro.
- Venezi’s four-year contract is set to begin in October 2026, with the 2027 New Year’s Concert assigned to another conductor.
- Superintendent Nicola Colabianchi defended the process and Venezi’s qualifications, describing the selection as coherent with La Fenice’s artistic identity.
- Council member Alessandro Tortato stepped down, calling the dispute purely political and disputing any suggestion of unanimous council backing for the nomination.
- Orchestra members and unions maintain protests over Venezi’s experience, as legal tensions rise with a union announcing a defamation suit against a journalist and Venezi filing complaints against musicians and media.