Elisabetta Riva will be the new Superintendent of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, with effect from 23 April 2025.
Riva was born in Monza, Lombardy, in 1973 and since 2013 she has directed the Teatro Coliseo di Buenos Aires, the only theatre in the world owned by the Italian State outside national borders.
“I am full of emotion and gratitude for this appointment, which is a great honour for me,” said Riva. “My international experience has strengthened the link with Italian culture, which I have always promoted with passion. Now, I intend to put this professional background at the service of the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, with the support of a talented team to develop its rich tradition and take it towards new opportunities. My sincere gratitude goes to all those who have placed their trust in me.”
Bologna’s imposing opera house opened in 1763. The first Italian production of a Wagner opera was staged there – Lohengrin in 1871 – and Arturo Toscanini began a long collaboration with the theatre after he conducted Falstaff in 1894, the year after its premiere at La Scala.
In 1931, Toscanini was to conduct a concert at the Teatro Comunale in memory of Giuseppe Martucci. However, he refused to perform the fascist anthem “Giovinezza” and the Royal March before the concert. He was slapped by a “black shirt” in front of the theatre and pushed to the ground. It was for this that he decided to leave Italy for New York. He returned to conduct in Europe, but not in Italy until after the end of WW2.
Sergiu Celibidache (1956–1973), Riccardo Chailly (1984–1993), Daniele Gatti (1997–2007), and Michele Mariotti (2008–2018) have been more recent principal conductors. Since 2022, the Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv has been the theatre’s director of music.
Riva has been married to Argentine Leonardo Kreimer since 2005 with whom she has a 13-year-old son. She has lived in Buenos Aires since 2007 and since 2013 she has directed the Teatro Coliseo. Under her leadership, the theatre has experienced an important revival, moving from a phase of decline to a cultural reference point for Argentina. She has created various subscription series, including Divina Italia, a season of opera, ballet and symphonic concerts with invited Italian ensembles.
She is fluent in English, Spanish and French, and for her contribution to the promotion of Italian culture abroad, she received the title of Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy from the President of the Italian Republic in 2017.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.