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FILE - Beatrice Venezi poses for photographers on the red carpet for the film 'The Smashing Machine' during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP, File)

VENICE – The storied Venetian opera house La Fenice is embroiled in a dispute with its orchestra and chorus over the appointment of a young and telegenic musical director with ties to Premier Giorgia Meloni but none with the musicians she has been hired to conduct.

La Fenice’s general manager, Nicola Colabianchi, who joined the theater in March, has defended his choice of 35-year-old Beatrice Venezi, saying her youthful energy will bring a new audience to the theater where Giuseppe Verdi premiered “Rigoletto’’ and "La Traviata’’ more than 170 y

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