Female figure on a stool playing the lyre (4th – 5th century BCE), from the ancient city of Lilibeo (modern Marsala), seen in the Museo Whitacker archeological museum on Mozia Island. Speaking of music-making, join Villa Palagonia duo on Sunday at 3PM (Eastern)/21:00 in Italia for an online concert of Sicilian folk music (and a…
Tag: musica
Hypnotized In Siracusa’s Piazza del Duomo
Ortigia’s Piazza del Duomo seduces me with her beauty, but then, when she adds in the harmonies and melodies of an accordion player, I’m hypnotized.
Serenade in Sicily
Last night our musician friends Ettore and Alfredo invited us to witness a pre-wedding serenade they were asked to perform. 100 friends and family came to listen and surprise the bride-to-be. Not the traditional intimate moment that has existed for centuries, but still, a wonderful night to be part of! Of course, the ballad “Nicuzza”…
A World of Women’s Voices
This painting by Ettore De Maria Bergler, hangs in Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, the house of the Sicilian Parliament. Titled, “The Ruins of the Temple of Jupiter in Syracuse,” or “I Ruderi del Tempio di Giove di Siracusa,” it was painted in 1891. Please join me in Middletown, Connecticut this Saturday, June 10 as part…
Experience Sicily Through Music
As a musician, I always look for ways to connect with other musicians while in Sicily. During our Savoring Sicily tour last September, we enjoyed a private concert by these gifted young men from Favara. They were all first- and second-year college students studying different fields, and so talented! We had such fun with them….
Full Circle
Sieves, like the one shown, have been used for generations to aid the olive and almond harvests (just to name two examples of when it’s used) by straining dirt and other particles out from fruit that has fallen to the ground. When we see an antique sieve next to a tamburello, or Italian frame drum…
Summer Jazz in Sicily
This week in the piazza at the foot of Castelbuono’s medieval castle is the 18th annual Castelbuono Jazz Festival. Experience Sicily’s Evelina Buttitta attended the show on Monday night when jazz musicians under 30 years of age competed to win a trip to New York City. The festival was funded by the town of Castelbuono…
Give Me a Beat
Musicians can connect with other musicians immediately. We don’t need words, we just need song and rhythm. Here’s a shot of me (Photo credit: Joe Ravo) in the Mercato Antico in Ortigia singing “Cu ti lu dissi” with Marco and Tito at Casa del Pesce “Tito.” What a great time! And the fish was fantastic…
Villa Palagonia at Villa Palagonia
Villa Palagonia in Bagheria continues to inspire me. Today my cousin, Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta, graciously took photos of Joe Ravo and I for our music duo Villa Palagonia at Villa Palagonia! Our debut album of music inspired by our Italian-American roots and Sicily is almost finished. We look forward to getting it out to…
Bella Tarantella
Today, the tarantella (shown in this painting) is still alive and danced and played socially in many parts of southern Italy. In modern-day Sicily, however, it’s danced most often by organized folk music and dance ensembles at feasts and festivals. There remains a very strong folk music culture throughout the island, where you’ll find musicians…