A triumphant evening that ended with a series of controversies. Francesca Perrotta, leader of the Olimpia Orchestra, an all-female ensemble whose concert opened Pesaro's 2024 year as Italian Capital of Culture, sharply criticized Paolo Bonolis' behavior and his “comedic jokes” on social media. 'Italian'. As Perrotta, whom Bonolis had repeatedly called “ma'am” and not director, introduces his orchestra musicians, Bonolis says: “They are all very…” “Serious,” suggests the director, but he continues: “Except that very much.” Sexy young lady there, there basically, everything yes, how does she sound?” he says, turns to the drummer and then adds: “It hits our soul.” Perrotta specifies “Today the triangle is playing “ and gives (involuntary) support to the moderator, who says “Renato Zero too, how wonderful” and walks away humming: “No, the triangle, I hadn’t thought of that.”
The Olimpia Orchestra was created in 2018 from an idea by Francesca Perrotta and Roberta Pandolfi. Perrotta, adopted from Pesaro, was born in Lecce and completed his studies in foreign languages and literatures at the University of Salento, writing a thesis on “The Nibelung Theme in Wagner's Operas”. A versatile pianist and soloist with solid international experience, she then moved to the Conservatory of Pesaro to study composition and then orchestral conducting, which she also perfected at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the European Conducting Academy in Vicenza, where she graduated Studies in 2019. She attended master classes with established international conductors such as Julius Kalmar, Lior Shambadal, Sigmund Thorp and Donato Renzetti. With the Orchestra Olimpia he conducted important soloists such as Haerim Elizabeth Lee, Elena Denisova and Valentina Mastrangelo and founded a partnership with the Zohra Orchestra of Kabul, which is currently being re-founded in Lisbon following the return of the Taliban. With Orchestra Olympia. Perrotta “is committed to promoting gender professionalism and disseminating the works of female composers,” her biography states. His CV also includes leadership of other groups in Veneto, Marche, Emilia Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
He would have liked to have avoided the controversy. But on Facebook he concludes: “Fortunately, the scale of what we did and represented was so impressive that the smallness of the curtain was jarring to all ears.” We create and practice culture, we all seek and love beauty. “