Nicola Colabianchi 's name is in pole position for the position of new superintendent of the "La Fenice" theater in Venice. Currently, the conductor and composer holds that same position at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, where he arrived in 2019, after the era of Claudio Orazi. "I have artistic and musical expertise, like most of the lyric superintendents in Italy. No problem for me if I were indicated as a superintendent who also follows the artistic direction, as Fortunato Ortombina was," Colabianchi said, as reported by Il Gazzettino.
The appointment, according to ministerial sources, should arrive at the end of the month, but at the moment it is blocked by an institutional impasse . The new board of directors of the La Fenice Foundation, which is responsible for the decision, has not yet scheduled the meeting because one of the five directors is missing. The choice is up to the private partners, namely the Venice Foundation, which however "does not reach the necessary contribution quota". During negotiations, a window was then opened on another important partner. But to no avail: in the end, as per the statute, the decision will be up to the mayor Luigi Brugnaro and the minister Giuli.
In the meantime, the superintendent “in pectore” has already met with the mayor and president of the Foundation. “We met for lunch,” Colabianchi confirms, specifying that they did not talk about La Fenice, but “it was an opportunity to see each other in person.” What seems clear is that, after taking office, the new superintendent will find a difficult situation, with complex union relations, a 2025 season already set and a program for next year still to be defined, with artistic contracts to be signed.
In this regard, Colabianchi stressed that managing similar scenarios is part of his job, citing the example of what he did at the Teatro di via Sant'Alenixedda, where «despite defamatory rumours, I relaunched the theatre both in terms of accounts and activities».
(Unioneonline/vf)