The relationship between Beatrice Venezi and the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice has come to a turbulent end. A day after the termination of her collaborations, the conductor issued a strongly worded statement claiming she had been “defamed, slandered, insulted and bullied” by orchestra members in recent months.
Venezi rejected accusations that she had shown disrespect toward theatre staff, turning the narrative on its head. “I have never disrespected, and never will disrespect, workers in any theatre,” she said, arguing instead that she had been the target of a coordinated campaign damaging her professional image, amplified by both Italian and international media.
According to Venezi, tensions had been escalating for eight months before reaching a breaking point. A key moment came with an interview she gave on April 23 to Argentine newspaper La Nación, in which she referred to alleged hereditary practices within the Venetian theatre. The remarks appear to have accelerated an already fragile situation.
On April 27, the foundation formally announced the cancellation of all future collaborations, bringing to a close a seven-month relationship marked by strikes, internal tensions and protests during the production of Lohengrin.
In her statement, Venezi also framed the issue more broadly, suggesting structural bias: “In Italy, being young is a disadvantage, and being a woman makes it worse,” she said, describing her career as that of a self-made outsider.
News Source: 9Colonne
