VENICE, Italy (AP) — The storied Venetian opera house La Fenice is locked in a dispute with its workers over the appointment of a young and telegenic music director with ties to Premier Giorgia Meloni but none with the musicians with whom she has been hired to construct the theater’s musical future.

La Fenice’s general manager, Nicola Colabianchi, who joined the theater in March, has defended his choice of 35-year-old Beatrice Venezi, saying her youthful energy will bring a new audience to the theater where Giuseppe Verdi premiered “Rigoletto’’ and “La Traviata’’ more than 170 years ago.

“She’s young and dynamic, she’s already written several books and she’s conducted many orchestras. She’s a person who attracts a great deal of media attention. So all of this will only bring attention to

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