Nice, 12 associations against the invitation to Beatrice Venezi. “No to the concert, she is a neo-fascist conductor”

Several associations have denounced the arrival at the Nice Opera of the conductor Beatrice Venezi, invited to perform during the end-of-year celebrations. Daughter of Gabriele Venezi, a former politician belonging to the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, the musician is close to the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia MeloniThe associations protested on Monday against the arrival in Nice of an orchestra conductor defined as a “neo-fascist” and close to the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni. The city of Nice has invited the Italian conductor Beatrice Venezi to direct its Philharmonic Orchestra for the traditional Christmas ballets and the New Year’s Concert. Gathered in the “Touscitoyens06” collective, the associations expressed their “opposition” in a statement ” to the arrival of “a neo-fascist orchestra conductor” and they asked the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi and the director general of the Opera to “cancel” this event’.

Already in April there had been protests over Venezi’s invitation to the Limoges opera. In a reaction sent to AFP, the director general of the Opéra de Nice, Bertrand Rossi, said that “music has the power to transcend divisions and bringing 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 create an environment in which everyone can feel comfortable and respected, regardless of their political affiliations”, he added, recalling that Venezi, “a talented conductor of international fame”, had already been welcomed in Nice for a concert in 2022.