Roberto Scarcella Perino Piano Concert at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ in NYC

April 30, 2010
6:30 pm	to	8:30 pm

Born in Messina, Italy, Roberto Scarcella Perino has been the recipient of very important honors and awards, including an International Competition for Children‘s opera and the Musical Analysis International Competition N. Slonimskij. He has written four operas: Verdi, Merli and Cucú (libretto by Gustavo Marchesi), presented in Busseto – Teatro Verdi, A caval donato (libretto by Flora Gagliardi) presented in Messina – Teatro Vittorio Emanuele, Pisa – Teatro Verdi, and New York – Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò of New York University, and Blackout (libretto by Roberta Faroldi), presented in Tarrytown (NY) Music-hall, in Messina – Teatro Savio and Turin – Piccolo Regio, Paolo e Virginia presented last November at Casa Italiana and two ballets: Colapesce and Constellations in collaboration with choreographer Aaron Severini from the NYC ballet. Roberto holds degrees in Piano from the Conservatory Corelli, where he has studied with Sonja Pahor and in Composition from the Conservatory Martini. He also studied Composition with Azio Corghi in Rome at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Milan at the Accademia Petrassi. He graduated at the University of Bologna in Musicology and taught Music Analysis at the Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma. He studied conducting at the Julliard School of Music with Vincent La Selva. He has written music for theater, choir, chamber ensemble, and for children’s productions, and has done orchestrations of numerous works. He is also a Language Lecturer at NYU and in the NYU Summer in Florence program teaches an Italian Opera class. Since last May he was nominated Scholar-in-Residence at the American Institute for Verdi Studies.

When: April 30, 2010 @ 6:30PM
Where: Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ @ NYU

24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011

Performance by the winners of IBLA Grand Prize

April 28, 2010
6:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

The program at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ includes works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Wagner, Prokofiev, Bartok, Liszt, Ravel, Puccini, Mascagni, Tschaikowski, Dvorak, Bizet and Beethoven.

The IBLA Foundation in New York City organizes an annual music competition for pianists, singers, instrumentalists and composers which takes place in Ragusa Ibla, Italy. Winners have been presented in such venues as Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Tokyo Opera City Hall, the Tchaikovsky Bolshoi Hall in Moscow as well as other prestigious venues in Canada, Europe, Russia and the USA.

When: April 28, 6:00pm

Where:
New York University
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 998-8739
Fax: (212) 995-4012
casa.italiana@nyu.edu
www.CasaItalianaNYU.org

Palermo plays host to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

April 23, 2010 11:00 am

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April 24, 2010 7:00 pm

This weekend the wine world’s reflectors will be pointed on Sicily. From April 23 to 25, Palermo will host the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Since its first edition in Belgium in 1994, the Concours Mondial has obtained great success.

In order to position the contest internationally, it was decided to let it go beyond its borders. In 2006 the organizing committee chose Lisbon for this première occasion. Then Maastricht, Bordeaux and Valencia followed.

Ezio Rivella, former president of the International Union of Enologists and Committee of Denominazione di Origine of Italy, affirms that the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has become one of the foremost authorities among the best international competitions.

The contest organizers are already in Palermo to prepare the tastings, supported by the technical team of the “Istituto Regionale della Vite e del Vino” (the Regional Institute of Grapes and Wine). More than 270 judges, all prestigious wine experts, are arriving from 40 different countries to examine and evaluate about 7,000 labels of the world’s best wines and liqueurs.
In the last edition held in Valencia, Sicily was the Italian Region that obtained the highest number of awards, validating the island’s growing trend towards the production of quality wines.

By Maria Lina Bommarito

Map:

Sant’Erasmo, ex deposito ferroviario

Photo Exhibition: “The Cult and the tradition”

April 16, 2010 9:00 am

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April 25, 2010 6:30 pm

We are very pleased to announce this upcoming exhibition entitled “The Cult and Tradition” by friend and contributor Franca Calderone.

Franca Calderone is a young and talented Sicilian photographer. She has been contributed to SicilyGuide for years with wonderful pictures of Sicily and its landscape. We are proud to have her as one of our contributors.

The exhibition is sponsored by Gualtieri Sicamino’, a town in the Messina province. It will take place during the national week of culture in Italy.

Address
Polifunzionale Comunale
Piazza Duomo, Gualtieri Sicamino’ (ME)

Hours
Monday-Friday 9.00AM – 1:30PM*

*Monday and Wednesday also open from 3:00PM to 6:30PM

Map

13th Edition of the Culture Week

April 16, 2010 4:00 pm

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April 24, 2010 10:00 pm

The Museo Regionale della Ceramica in Caltagirone (CT) will be free to the public through April 24 for the 13th edition of the Culture Week. The museum hosts a beautiful collection of majolicas and ceramics.

Museo Regionale della Ceramica
Caltagirone (CT)
Phone: (+39) 0933-21680
Fax: (+39) 0933-26972

Map

The Sicilian Film Festival in Miami on April 16 @ 6PM

April 15, 2010 6:00 pm

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April 21, 2010 10:00 pm

The success of the inaugural Sicilian Film Festival in 2006 was very encouraging. So was the second edition of 2007. The Sicilian Film Festival is now renowned throughout the United States and the world. This festival is a creation of Emanuele Viscuso. The concept began when The Ragusani Nel Mondo association requested the showing here in Florida of some films made by Sicilian directors. Sicilians, Italians, Americans and people from every ethnic background equally enjoyed the festival and felt that they were part of a larger family. The Sicilian Film Festival has quickly become a showcase for the fruits of Sicilian cultural creativity. It offers its supporters a unique and personal opportunity to take part in the creation of this international festival.

The Sicilian Film Festival
@ Miami Beach Cinematheque
512 Espanola Way, Miami Beach
April 16, 2010 at 6pm
Web site: www.sicilianfilmfestival.com
Programm

Meetup for New York City’s Sicilian Food, Wine & Travel Group!

April 22, 2010

7:00 pm

Karen La Rosa is presenting this event with Gianni and Pilar Nicolosi at Meridiana Restaurant. Gianni is from Catania, Sicily. He is about as passionate as they come where Sicily is concerned. He has owned this restaurant for 16 years.

An Evening of Sicilian Food, Drink and Culture.
Dinner and a tasting of new products.
Featuring a performance by recording artist Michela Musolino.
A reading by renowned author Gioia Timpanelli.
An exhibit of photography.
And give-aways.

At the event, a 5 course Sicilian menu with several wines will be served with newly imported products from Tutto Sicilia (TuttoSicily.com).

Pre-Dinner Welcome Cocktail at 6:30 PM

Menu

Panelle Alla Palermitana [grilled chickpea flour fritters w/goat cheese and rosted radicchio]
Cassareccia Monreale [pasta w/arugula, tomatoes, pinenuts and raisins]
Dentice Alla Griglia [grilled red snapper]
Spiedino di Vitello [stuffed veal rolls]
Dessert

Admission: $95 in advance: To prepay (a must), call Karen LaRosa at 917.225.8415.
What is included: a 5 course Sicilian Feast with wines, entertainment, autographed latest book by Gioia Timpanelli, Event Journal and Gift bag.

To Purchase Tickets call (917) 225-8415

The evening is sponsored by La Rosa Works LLC; Gianni Nicolosi and Meridiana Restaurant; Prutch Family Imports; tongue New York City’s Sicilian Food, Wine & Travel Group biggrin; Krea Publishing; Sikania Magazine; Ciclismo Classico; SoulofSicily.com

Learn more here: http://www.meetup.com/sicily/calendar/12532848/

What: Sicily Event (Dinner & Sicilian Songs by Michela Musolino)

When: Thursday, April 22, 2010 7:00 PM

Where:
Meridiana Restaurant
2756 Broadway between 105th & 106th Streets
Phone: (212) 222-4453

Map

La Festa di li Schietti in Terrasini, near Palermo

April 4, 2010
9:00 am	to	11:00 pm

A very popular celebration takes place in Terrasini (near Palermo) on Easter Day every year. It is called “La Festa di li Schietti” which means the celebration of the unmarried/singles. The main event of the “festa” is the tree-raising contest. The participants either single or married, must lift up an orange tree of more than 100 lbs. (about 50 Kg) and as tall as possible. It is not an easy task, in fact it takes strength and balance ability.

This tradition has very ancient origins, but  it has been celebrated only since 1966. The event actually starts the day before, with the cutting of the best orange tree in the area and its decorating with ribbons and little bell-like ornaments. The day goes on with a folklorist picnic to which everyone is welcomed with some real treats: grilled sardines, sausage, lamb, wine, music, dancing and much more.

On Easter morning the tree is taken around the town and young men raise it below their fiance’s balcony to give a demonstration of their strength. In the afternoon the contest takes place. The music band plays to encourage the participants to resist as long as possible. The person, either single or married, that keeps the tree up for the longest time, is the winner. The entertainment goes on until late at night with music concerts in the beautiful illuminated square of Terrasini and spectacular fireworks.

By Maria Lina Bommarito

Slideshow

Map

The Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta 2010

April 11, 2010 11:00 am

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April 18, 2010 11:00 am

The Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta 2010 takes place from April 11 to 19. The main protagonists of the event are the Tall Ships, the amazing “vessels with tall masts”, owned by the most important international Maritime Training Schools, navies, charities and organizations, which will be berthed in the host ports of Genova (April 8 to 11) and Trapani (April 16 to 19). The Tall Ships will be available for visits on board and will “entertain” the two cities with a variety of events and additional activities.

The event is promoted by Sail Training International (STI) and organized in our Country by Sail Training Association-Italia, a non-profit association founded in 1996 by the Italian Navy and the Italian Yacht Club.

Watch video (2:02 min)

Easter in Sicily

March 29, 2010 5:00 pm

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April 4, 2010 10:00 pm

Sicily is the richest Italian region in terms of festival, events and folk customs connected to the Holy Week. Among the most evocative and renowned religious manifestations of devotion are the mysteries of Trapani. Many other can be found between the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains, Palermo and Ragusa, making Easter time one of the most characteristic
periods of the year.

Copyrights - DiCasaInSicilia

The union between sacred and secular is one of the most meaningful characteristics of Sicilian culture and Easter is undoubtedly one of the religious celebration that most accentuates this dualism. All over the island, in large towns and tiny villages alike, processions weave their way through narrow streets and squares: saints’ statues carried on the shoulders by those devoted become the main attraction, surrounded by lights, stalls with meat, fruit and sweets, in a mix of mysticism and religiosity. The Spanish and Jesuit inheritance of religious festivals has a long tradition in the ancestral pagan traditions that used to mark the arrival of the Spring, now incorporated into the religious festivities.

The mysteries in Trapani on Good Friday is undoubtedly one of the most ancient and evocative celebrations of the week preceding Easter. This feast, in which the townsmen carry statues through the streets, has Spanish origins and has been taking place for over 400 years. Each statue is made out of wood by the best Trapani’s artisans. One by one the statues represent the stations of the cross, and thousands of Sicilians line the streets awaiting the arrival of the Virgin Mary in search of her son. The mysteries tradition is not only celebrated in Trapani, but also in the close medieval village of Erice and in Marsala, where instead of the wooden statues there is a wonderful representation of the stations of the cross. These processions have kept intact the theatrical aspect of the performance as it was in Medieval time. There are many interesting events not to miss if you’re visiting Sicily during  Easter time and want to taste the atmosphere of age-old traditions.

For more information to visit Sicily during Easter or other times, please visit www.dicasainsicilia.com

DiCasaInSicilia is the perfect partner for those who want to experience an unforgettable holiday in Sicily, with a wide selection of charming accommodations in or in the direct vicinity of the old town centers where some of the most beautiful Holy Week processions of the island take place.