BEATRICE VENEZI
CONDUCTOR
About Beatrice
She studied piano, composition and conducting, graduating with full marks and honours from the Milan Conservatory of Music "Giuseppe Verdi".
She has collaborated with internationally renowned performers such as Placido Domingo, Marcelo Àlvarez, Vittorio Grigolo, Maria José Siri, Aida Garifullina, Bruno Canino, Stefan Milenkovich, Giuseppe Gibboni, Valentina Lisitsa, Andrea Griminelli, Eleonora Abbagnato, Carla Fracci and Andrea Bocelli.
She has also collaborated with prestigious musical institutions such as Orchestra della Fondazione Arena di Verona, Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, New Japan Philharmonic, Sofia Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Opera Holland Park of London, Teatro Lirico of Cagliari, Teatro Bellini of Catania , Orchestra Haydn, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Opéra de Nice, Opéra-Théatre de Metz-Métropole, Opéra Grand Avignon, Symphony Orchestra of the National Television and Radio of Belarus, Georgian National Opera Theatre, Georgian Philharmonic, State Orchestra of Armenia, National Opera House of Azebaijan, National Theater Ivan Zajc in Rijeka, Sofia National Opera and Ballet, Teatro del Libertador in Cordoba, Teatro Coliseo of Buenos Aires, Teatro Olimpico of Vicenza,Circuito Lirico Marchigiano, for over 200 symphony concerts and 70 opera performances.
Currently Advisor to the Italian Minister of Culture for Music and Artistic Director of the Taormina Arte Foundation at the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, she held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the “Orchestra della Toscana”, Principal Conductor of the Orchestra “Milano Classica” and Principal Guest Conductor of the “Puccini Festival” in Torre del Lago.
She was also a member of the Women's Consultation Group of the Pontifical Council for Culture from 2019 to 2022.
During her precocious career she has received various awards, in particular for her artistic skills and commitment to the diffusion of classical musical culture in the younger generations, including the historic Scala d'Oro Award, the Pegaso Award of the Tuscany, the Kinéo Award and the Gentile da Fabriano Award.
Corriere della Sera reports her among the 50 women of the year 2017 and in 2018 Forbes inserts her among the 100 young leaders of the future under 30.
Alongside her professional activity, she carries out an intense dissemination activity collaborating with renowned Institutions such as Universität Wien, Bocconi University of Milan, Milan Polytechnic, IULM, Polimoda of Florence, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Rome, Federico II University of Naples, Catholic University of Milan for which, in 2021 she held the inaugural concert of the Academic Year in the year of its centenary and the University of Sassari for which she held the lectio magistralis for the inauguration of the 2018-2019 Academic Year.
For the Utet Publishing House she has published "Allegro con Fuoco", "Le Sorelle di Mozart", translated into French by Payot et Rivages under the title "Fortissima" and into Spanish by MRA Ediciones under the title "Las hermanas de Mozart", and "l'Ora di Musica".
For DeAgostini she edited the musical education manual for lower secondary schools "Armonie".
In 2022 she also published the essay "Cyclicality, Staticity and Timelessness - The Wanderer's Journey through Schubertian aesthetics" within "Verbum Caro" a miscellany dedicated to the 80th birthday of H.E. Cardinal Ravasi - SanPaolo Editions.
For Warner Music Italy she released the albums “My Journey” and “Heroines”.
Beatrice Venezi strives for the dissemination of classical music in an accessible and captivating way.
Always at the forefront of helping young people discover classical music, she lends herself to collaborative initiatives in collaboration with representative artists of different musical genres, such as her performance with rapper Rocco Hunt in the context of the MTV Digital Day in 2016 and the collaboration with rapper Livio Cori for Rolling Stone in 2017.
She promotes classical musical events in unconventional contexts, such as “The Puccini Day”, a concert dedicated to Giacomo Puccini within the Pop-Rock Festival "Lucca Summer Festival, in 2018
and "Pensieri Illuminati", the experimental multidisciplinary performance with Felice Limosani, director and storyteller, for the celebration of New Year's Eve 2021, at the Milan Cathedral.
Conductor in Andrea Bocelli's show "Ali di Libertà" at the Teatro del Silenzio in July 2019, broadcast on national television RAI.
In 2022 she took part in the great concert for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace live worldwide for BBC1, conducting Andrea Bocelli in Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun Dorma", the only two Italian artists on that stage.
Together with pop singers Morgan, Piero Pelù and Luca Barbarossa she was the judge of "AmaSanremo" a project dedicated to young singers competing for the 71st Sanremo Festival in 2021 of which she was also the presenter together with the Artistic Director Amadeus.
In 2022, the six episodes of "Secret Renaissances" were released on SkyArte, her first engagement in the conducting of a television program dedicated to the dissemination of art and music.
In December 2022 she had the honour of directing the traditional Christmas Concert at the Senate of the Italian Republic, broadcasted live on RAI1.
In July 2023 she conducted the opening concert of the Puccini centennial broadcasted by RAI.
She also conducted the TV show The New Divas - Live in Vienna broadcasted by PBS on October 2023.
She attributes a social value to music, the bearer of important messages of openness and innovation notably in milieux traditionally prerogatives of the male gender where even today, in some parts of the world, there still is skepticism and perplexity for male roles played by women. She was the first woman on the podium in Countries such as Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, where she received, despite this, public appreciation and esteem for her commitment to the eradication of any discrimination against women .
Calendar 2023
February 9th and 11th
symphonic
Symphonic concerts
Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini
Teatro della Fortuna, Fano
Teatro della Regina, Cattolica
March 15th,16th,17th, 19th,20th,21th,22nd, 23rd,24th
gala
G. Puccini - Tosca
Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
June 14th
April 12th and 18th
gala
New Divas on Tour
Barbara Mann Hall, Ft. Myers
Detroit Music Hall, Detroit
May 18th,22nd,26th,28th
and 29th
opera
G.Puccini - Turandot
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
June 2nd
gala
Puccini 100
Teatro Coliseo
Buenos Aires
June 12th
gala
Gala concert
Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti
Dortmund
June 28th and 30th
opera
M. Tutino - Falso Tradimento
Italian premiere
Ente Concerti “Marialisa de Carolis”, Sassari
July 13th and August 2nd
opera
G.Puccini - Manon Lescaut
Festival Puccini, Torre del Lago
Recordings and books
L'Ora di Musica
An invitation to beauty and harmony
Teaching music, like almost all arts subjects, is considered by many to be superfluous: it is assumed that it does not provide knowledge that can be used in the labour market and doesn't contribute to the economic growth of society.
But can we really do without it? Beatrice Venezi has no doubt: through music we come into contact with a form of preverbal communication capable of opening our minds and forge an indissoluble bond with a fundamental aspect of our identity as Italians and Europeans. These lessons allow us to reconstruct the history of our culture, and therefore to better understand our society and its evolution, and to remind us that beauty is at hand and accessible to all of us.
Heroines
Orchestra Haydn
What is heroic? Do not believe that the title “Heroines”, which I have used to name these characters of the operatic repertoire, implies a moral judgment on my part. It is in fact a mere verdict of their great courage. In this disc you will find a number of symphonic portraits of women who, in the collective imagination, are considered par excellence heroines.
Le Sorelle di Mozart
Stories of forgotten performers, brilliant composers and rebellious musicians
“This is the story of some unique women. Brilliant musicians. Innovative composers. Sublime performers. Unique women able to emerge in a world that would willingly do without them.That considered them unsuitable, shameless, scandalous, incapable. This is the story of some unique women, in a world of men.”
Allegro con Fuoco
Falling in Love with Classical Music
Beatrice Venezi
Beatrice Venezi, not even 30 years old, did not let commonplace take over her: everyone can still fall in love with classical music, just like her. After all, we just need to follow the right guide. The melody will become a way to discover the world, the rhythm an attempt to listen to ourselves and harmony an evidence of social life. If we take a closer look, the plots of the opera seem to be reproducing the present times: Carmen becomes a symbol to fight violence against women, the Bohème a Parisian transposition of famous TV series, such as Friends or How I Met Your Mother. Among scores and crotchets, biographies of composers and conductors, Beatrice Venezi shows us how classical music, once set free from stereotypes, becomes a global right, a beauty belonging to everyone.
My Journey
Living surrounded by music is a privilege: for me, it means being constantly immersed in beauty, at every level. Even though I may seem distant, on my feet at the conductor’s podium, or if sometimes the study of something so luminous and complex may take me to places which are very difficult to imagine, my life isn’t very different from yours. I know what you’re thinking.
Reviews
Forumopera
"L’Orchestre national d’Auvergne, entre les mains expertes de Beatrice Venezi, réalise l’exploit [...]
L’Orchestre régional d’Auvergne, en formation bellinienne, nous offre le plus beau des concerts : la direction attentive, inspirée de Beatrice Venezi, toujours attentive à chacun, équilibre, sculpte, nuance le propos. Les solistes (une corniste, la flûte, la clarinette…) sont exemplaires dans leur contrepoint avec la voix. Un régal."
TheArtsdesk.com
"More of a surprise was the utterly idiomatic style of the City of London Sinfonia under Beatrice Venezi, making her London debut in style by stepping out in a gorgeous red dress with long flowing hair, la Poesia incarnate, not the preferred mode of a woman conductor."
ResMusica
"La jeune cheffe italienne Beatrice Venezi propose une lecture fine, détaillée et énergique de la partition, dont la richesse semble accrue par la disposition dans la salle des musiciens."
Ansa
"Calorosi applausi hanno accolto Beatrice Venezi, per la prima volta sul podio del Lirico di Cagliari. La direttrice che difende la sua schelta di essere chiamata direttore, ha guidato l´Orchestra in un affascinante quanto noto repertorio. Gli spettatori si son lasciati trasportare delle emozioni profonde create della musica di Mozart e Beethoven. E, complice anche il nome di richiamo, con una giovane rivelazione, si e respirata dopo tanto tempo, nobamente l´atmosfera di un ritorno alla normalitá, con il pubblico che ha occupato di nuovo numeroso la platea."
Operatoday.com
"OHP are also blessed with a conductor who appreciates the dramatic tenor and structure of L’Amico Fritz. Making an impressive UK debut, Beatrice Venezi demonstrates an innate understanding of the quietude and delicacy of Mascagni’s score, while never neglecting its dramatic impetus. The reduced forces of the London Sinfonia offer not less but more, in expressive terms. There are truly lovely solos, not just from leader Charlotte Reid in the Romany fantasia which accompanies Beppe’s entrance, but also the beguiling contributions of the lead oboe and clarinet, the warm horns, and the expressive lower strings. Venezi appreciates how to let Mascagni’s inexhaustible cantabile flow, creating space while maintaining momentum, and she conjures delectable colours and scents, with calm authority."
The Guardian
"Musically, it’s beautifully done, and comparably restrained.[...] The opera is given in a reduced orchestration by Tony Burke, but there’s plenty of Italian warmth and sensuousness in both Venezi’s conducting and the City of London Sinfonia’s playing."
The Stage
"Making a highly auspicious UK debut is conductor Beatrice Venezi, whose rhythmic flexibility and palpable engagement help maintain the highest musical standards."
Seen and heard international
"Conductor Beatrice Venezi ensured superb playing from the smaller group of players (as so often this season, reduced scoring was used, this time courtesy of Tony Burke at Pocket Productions). It was impossible not to notice the suave woodwind phrasing early on, or the passion of the Intermezzo (not as famous as Cav’s one, for sure, but definitely worth seeking out), and Venezi’s clear rapport with both singers and instruments in terms of flexibility, and the ability to establish tempi quickly, paid huge dividends."
Bachtrack.com
"Performance from the pit in this orchestral reduction was exemplary: the City of London Sinfonia under the baton of Beatrice Venezi gave a red-blooded and bold account of the score that belied the reduced numbers."
Planet Hugill
"Conducto Beatrice Venezi had made her UK debut at the beginning of this run and I certainly hope she will be back soon. She drew fine, idiomatic playing from the City of London Sinfonia who clearly relished the complexities of Mascagni´s score with its use of instrumental interludes to develop the drama. They were playing and orchestral reduction by Tony Banks from Pocket Publications, but we hardly notice so strong was the character Venezi drew from the players."