But it’s not goodbye.

Stefano will continue to be closely involved with Teatro San Cassiano as he takes on a new role as one of our esteemed consiglieri, guiding us specifically in terms of research. He will, therefore, remain central to our future, as only he can, but in a new position that will allow him to give his own company in Mantua the attention it rightly deserves.

Our CEO, Paul Atkin, was eager to note:

“First and foremost we have to say 'grazie Ste!'. Since almost the beginning, Stefano has been a central figure in our venture. As many will know, he is an excellent musicologist, but his contribution has extended far beyond research, and here it is simply impossible to recognise sufficiently how important Stefano has been (and will remain) both to the complex and ongoing process of reconstructing the Teatro San Cassiano, but also to me as a friend and as a colleague.

"In my view, we would never have been able to take this so-called impossible project and make it the reality it is today were it not thanks to Stefano Patuzzi, his insight, his knowledge and expertise, and a dedication that went far beyond the call of duty. In short, there are few men in the world I admire more than Stefano and speaking frankly (and despite my efforts to the contrary) he has never received the credit he deserves for his role in our collaboration and in our success.

“I am, of course, very sorry to lose Stefano from our day-to-day lives, but we are both agreed that the time is right for this new direction. For both Stefano and I, this will offer us new opportunities for the benefit of the Teatro San Cassiano, at the centre of which will be Stefano and our deep and enduring friendship.

"Grazie Ste!”

 

 

Statement from Stefano Patuzzi

"The Teatro San Cassiano was and is a dream, but in two different senses.

"It was a dream when I first started working with Paul, in 2017, because it seemed unrealisable, so many critical aspects had to be addressed and resolved. It is a dream today, at the end of 2024, because it can be realised. A multiple dream, moreover: for a Venice, wanting to invest in one of the most glorious chapters of its past so as to shape its own sustainable future; for the world of baroque opera, which would have the ideal centre for continuous exploration, thus benefiting from an added value that, to date, no other reality can offer in such an organic way; for enthusiasts and scholars from all over the world, who would have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a reality from the past that would be the fruit of a vision, energy, synergies and investment from the present.

"For my part, I am proud to have contributed to this first, decisive and complex, at times tortuous, phase in the theatre's history; as a consigliere, it will now be my pleasure to ensure the necessary continuity so that those who will build upon our research can rely on all the information accumulated and reflections shared (especially with Paul, whom I thank very much for the opportunity, with Jon Greenfield, with Roberta Pellegriti) over these years."

Stefano Patuzzi