Church wedding musicians in Castelmola

Castelmola is Taormina's balcony: a stone village perched on a cliff, more than five hundred metres above the sea, with Etna on one side and the Ionian coast on the other. Couples who choose to marry here are looking for something rare: the intimacy of a small village and a view that few places in the world can offer. If you are looking for church wedding musicians in Castelmola, here is what your ceremony can be like with Maestro Ilarion, tenor.

Picture the drive up to the village

Picture the road climbing from Taormina, bend after bend. From the car window the sea moves away and grows ever larger. Guests reach the square and fall silent at the view: the bay of Isola Bella, Giardini Naxos, the coastline as far as Capo Schisò, and in the distance Etna with its plume of smoke.

The church is small, and that is exactly why every note reaches everyone. No amplification or effects are needed: just a real voice and the organ. The Maestro has agreed every moment of the Mass with the parish priest. When the bride walks in, the singing accompanies her as if the church itself were breathing with her.

In a village church, music changes its nature. It is not a concert, it is a prayer spoken up close. Guests sit a few metres from the altar. During the Ave Maria you can hear the listeners breathing. Someone squeezes the hand of the person next to them.

As you leave, the wind from the cliff lifts the bride's veil. Photos are taken on the terrace, with the sea below and the sky all around. Then you go down to Taormina, or stay on one of the village terraces, for the reception.

The ceremony music, moment by moment

• Entrance: a piece chosen with you, suited to the intimate size of the church.
• Mass chants: Alleluia, offertory and communion, agreed with the priest and the organist.
• Ave Maria: Schubert, Gounod or Caccini, during the floral tribute to the Madonna.
• Signing and recessional: a bright piece as the couple walks out towards the terrace.

Castelmola and the nearby villages

In Castelmola weddings are celebrated in the Church of San Nicolò di Bari, the village's mother church, a few steps from the panoramic square and the castle ruins. From here you can reach the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Rocca and all the churches of Taormina in a few minutes.

Maestro Ilarion also sings in the surrounding villages: Giardini Naxos, Mazzarò, Letojanni, Gallodoro, Mongiuffi Melia, Forza d'Agrò, Sant'Alessio Siculo, Savoca, Gaggi and Graniti, and throughout the province of Messina.

After the church

The Maestro, tenor and pianist, can also accompany the aperitif and reception with elegant live music, on the terraces of Castelmola or in the hotels and villas of Taormina.

Where to find wedding musicians near Castelmola

If you are looking for professional wedding musicians near Castelmola, Maestro Ilarion, tenor and pianist, sings in person in Castelmola and the villages around it, from Taormina to Giardini Naxos, Letojanni and Forza d'Agrò. In church, whether it is the Cathedral of San Nicolò di Bari, a single musician brings voice and organ to the whole celebration, and the pieces are agreed with the parish priest.

Live wedding music does not stop at the church: voice and piano can also accompany the aperitif, dinner and first dance, on the terraces of Castelmola or in the hotels and villas of Taormina. To choose calmly, read the guide Live wedding music: how to find professional musicians.

Surprise flash mob in Castelmola

Friends and family can prepare a surprise choir for the couple: Maestro Ilarion creates the sung flash mob in Castelmola, writes the parts, leads rehearsals remotely too and arranges things with the parish priest. He also organises flash mobs for marriage proposals, anniversaries, birthdays, companies and events: read the guide Sung flash mob organiser.

Tell us your date with the request for church ceremony music.

Getting married somewhere else? Here are all the places where I sing, from Sicily to Lake Como.