Speranza Scappucci, 52, from Rome, is among the brightest figures on the international music scene. Scappucci is the first Italian conductor to tread the podiums of La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan in New York, the Paris Opéra, Berlin, Vienna and London's Covent Garden - where she will be principal guest conductor from next year -, and she now realizes another dream: to work more often in Italy. From June 27 to July 19, she will make her Arena di Verona debut conducting Verdi's La Traviata, in a production set in Belle Époque Paris designed by Hugo De Ana. "When you're in the Arena you feel like you're in a movie," she says. "Despite the difficulties of an open-air theater, with the wind that can turn the pages of the score, it's a unique experience because of the energy that comes from the audience”. But there’s more: Scappucci has just been appointed artistic director of the MiTo Festival, which unites Milan and Turin with a program between classical and contemporary music. "I accepted with enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility," she said, postponing details on the 2025 program until the fall. After starting as a child with piano and studying at the Juilliard School, Scappucci embarked on her conducting career at age 38, after years alongside great masters such as Muti, Ozawa and Mehta. "Every musician has his or her own path. I was lucky enough to learn by observing the best". Also a well-known face on TV thanks to the program "The Joy of Music" on Rai3 with Corrado Augias, today he continues his work of popularization with meetings and lectures in theaters. "Music can reach everyone. Television and schools can do much more”.