The invitation of a conductor close to Meloni at the Nice Opera creates controversy

Associations protested Monday against the arrival in Nice of an Italian conductor described as "neofascist" and close to the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni. The city of Nice has invited the Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi to conduct its Philharmonic Orchestra for the traditional Christmas ballets and the New Year's Concert.

Gathered in a collective "Touscitoyens06", the associations indicated in a press release their "opposition" to the arrival of "a neofascist conductor" and asked the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi (Horizons) and the director general of the 'Opera to 'cancel this event'. A rare female conductor, Beatrice Venezi, daughter of Gabriele Venezi, former leader, during the first decade of the 2000s, of the openly neo-fascist party Forza Nuova, is adviser to the Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano.

His coming to the Limoges opera in April had already sparked a protest movement. In a reaction sent to AFP, the director general of the Opéra de Nice, Bertrand Rossi, considered that "music has the power to transcend divisions and bring people together around a common experience, it is essential to separate art from politics. As a cultural institution, our role is to promote free artistic expression and to create an environment where everyone can feel comfortable and respected, regardless of their political affiliations", he added, recalling that Ms Venezi , “talented, internationally renowned conductor”, had already been welcomed to Nice for a concert in 2022.