Category: Music
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Myths & Mysteries of Sicily: Day 5
Live from Sicily! Myths & Mysteries of Sicily: As Above/So Below | Day 5. Moving across the island, we enjoyed lunch in a family-run tratorria, were amazed by the mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale, and ended the day with music and dancing with the waves of the Mediterranean roaring in the distance.
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Orlando Inspired Us: The Opera Dei Pupi in Acireale, Sicily
Live from Sicily! We laughed, shouted, booed, and cried for Orlando during the opera dei pupi (marionette theater) last evening. The magnificent Opera di Pupi Turi Grasso theater company showed us the joys and craftsmanship of their multigenerational master work! We were all so inspired–us and the Grasso family too!
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Sicily’s International Folk Music Festival
Now until March 10 is the annual Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore (Almond Blossom Festival) in Agrigento. The festival is a 10-day extravaganza of events, the heart of which focus on folk music from around the world. I’ve yet to attend the festival that attracts everything from Mexican Mariachi bands to Japanese drummers. During this…
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Me and Vincenzo Bellini
Celebrity Selfie Alert! Well, sort of. While in Catania in January, I took the opportunity to take a photo with the composer Bellini at the (You guessed it.) Giardino Bellini. Catania and Sicily are very proud of their “son,” the opera composer, Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). Bellini was born into a family of musicians in Catania…
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Scraping the Sky: Teatro Andromeda
Scraping the sky of the Sicanian mountains, Teatro Andromeda is a modern sculpture created by artist and shepherd Lorenzo Reina. Although it feels ancient, the theater, which sits 1000 meters (3280 feet) above sea level, was built by Reina one stone at a time over the past 30 years. When you talk with the Lorenzo,…
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Always Make Time To Dance
My time in Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, during this trip was packed with wonder, and even if it’s not officially a tarantella, 🎶 “Vitti ‘na crozza” gave me an opportunity to dance under la Fontana dell’Elefante, effectionaltely known as Liotru, in the Piazza Duomo.
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The Sea At Zafferano
“The sea at Zafferano flashes cross my mind… I come from a braver kind… I feel so alive, I feel so sure, with the sun on my path and the wind at my back…” Capo Zafferano, pictured, and my grandparents’ immigration from this area, inspired my song and performance, “Jump,” released ten years ago this…
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Sing, Sing A Song
I can’t wait to sing with Angelo again … Just a few days to go!
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Return To Sicily For The Harmony Of Ferragosto
Ferragosto is upon us! And that means throughout Sicily (and Italy) there are feasts, music festivals, and gatherings of all sorts, like Ypsigrock (pictured) that took place over the weekend in Castelbuono, Palermo province. My cousin Filippo attended, and he sent me this photo of one of my musician heros, Alfio Antico, who performed on…