The Italian conductor Valentina Peleggi, a disciple of Marin Alsop, grew up with her great grandmother’s story in the back of her mind. Giving up a career as a singer even after convincing Puccini to cast her as Musetta in the opera La Bohème, she left the stage to devote herself to her marriage. Four generations later, Peleggi had no doubts about her destiny. As a child, she was directed by Zubin Mehta and recognised that that was what she wanted. Described by BBC Magazine as a “Rising Star” in 2018, she will perform at the Gulbenkian in the company of the violinist Karen Gomyo.