Rosanna Purchia appointed Culture Councillor in Turin

Rosanna Purchia, former Superintendent of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (2009–2020) and most recently Extraordinary Commissioner of the Teatro Regio di Torino, has been named assessore alla Cultura (Culture Councillor) for the city of Turin. The appointment was announced by newly elected centre-left mayor Stefano Lo Russo as part of his six-woman, five-man council. Purchia succeeds Francesca Leon, who held the role from 2016. Born in Naples in 1953, Purchia began her career in the early 1970s with the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare alongside the Bennato brothers under Maestro Roberto De Simone. In 1976 she joined the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, where she was responsible for artistic programming under directors Giorgio Strehler, Jack Lang, and Luca Ronconi, working on productions such as Strehler's 'La tempesta', Ronconi's 'Prometeo' trilogy, and 'Madre Coraggio' directed by Robert Carsen. At the Teatro di San Carlo, she led the institution's financial recovery, balancing the budget over twelve years and boosting its national and international profile. As Commissioner of the Teatro Regio, she now urges the mayor to swiftly appoint a new Superintendent for the opera house.