Daniele Pitteri Reflects on Four Years Leading Fondazione Musica per Roma

In an exit interview with Artribune, Daniele Pitteri, outgoing CEO of Fondazione Musica per Roma, detailed the institution's recovery from the pandemic. Under his leadership, the foundation surpassed its 2024 revenue target of €28.5 million by reaching €32 million in 2023, a 24% increase over 2019. Ticket revenue hit €14 million in 2023, up 69% from 2019. The foundation attracted over 180,000 under-25 attendees from 2020 to 2023, with a 78% rise in audience at Casa del Jazz compared to 2019. Pitteri highlighted the creation of the Centro di Produzione Musicale, the largest such center recognized by Italy's Ministry of Culture, and the Jazz Campus Orchestra as key achievements. He noted ongoing challenges: poor urban integration of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, stalled maintenance of Renzo Piano's iconic lead roofs, and a lack of progress on a masterplan by Piano and Alvisi Kirimoto for surrounding areas. Pitteri criticized the city's handling of the Flaminio district, including a proposed stadium for Lazio that he said would harm the Auditorium. He also reflected on the tension between the foundation's public-private model and the short-term focus of its public shareholder, Rome's city government. Pitteri's four-year term ended naturally; he stated he would have accepted a renewal but believes six years is the ideal tenure for cultural leadership.