Live Italian music for cruise passengers and tour groups in Sicily

A port call lasts only a few hours. Passengers stepping off the ship want to take home something real from Sicily: a view, a flavour, a story. Forty-five minutes of live Italian music, sung by a tenor in an ancient church, a historic hall or on a terrace above the sea, often becomes the best memory of the day.

Ilarion, tenor and composer, knows this audience well: he has sung on cruise ships, in Taormina's most prestigious hotels, such as the San Domenico Palace, and at international events. He sings in Italian, English, Spanish and Greek.

Who it is for

• Tour operators and destination management companies hosting groups in Sicily
• Shore excursion organisers for cruise passengers
• Travel agencies, group leaders and tour escorts
• Hotels and resorts that want to offer their guests an evening of Italian music
• Leaders of pilgrimage groups, Catholic and Orthodox

The formats

The Italian music concert

About 45 minutes of Neapolitan classics, serenades, Sicilian music and Ilarion's own compositions: the right length to fit into a day in port. Ilarion sings while accompanying himself on the piano; on request the concert can include more singers and musicians. The full programme is on the page concert of Neapolitan classics, serenades and Sicilian music.

Sacred music in church

For pilgrimage groups and for those visiting Sicily's great churches: the Ave Maria and sacred music sung live, with voice and organ. For Orthodox groups Ilarion also offers his music for the Akathistos Hymn to the Mother of God.

Musical evenings and aperitifs for groups

Voice and piano for a dinner, an aperitif or an evening in a hotel, a villa or on a terrace, with a programme built around the group's international audience.

The ports

• Messina: ships dock in the heart of the city, a short walk from the Cathedral. Many excursions to Taormina start here. Church music in Messina.
• Giardini Naxos and Taormina: ships anchor in the bay and passengers come ashore by tender, at the foot of Taormina. Church music in Giardini Naxos and in Taormina.
• Syracuse: ships dock beside Ortigia, the island of the old town, with the Cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa a short walk away. Church music in Syracuse.
• Palermo: the port lies right next to the old town, among the Cathedral, the markets and the palazzi. Church music in Palermo.

On request Ilarion also considers other ports in Sicily and Calabria.

How it is organised

The available venues change with the dates: a church, a historic hall or a terrace that is free on one day may not be on another. That is why it is important to plan well in advance, at least 6 months before the date of the port call.

1. The organiser sends the date, the port, the ship's times, the number of people and the group's language.
2. Format and venue are chosen together: a church, a historic hall, the hotel or a terrace.
3. Ilarion prepares the programme around the group and the length of the call.
4. On the day he follows the excursion schedule, with no surprises.

For luxury weddings and gala events there is a dedicated page for wedding planners and event managers.

Check availability for your group, at least 6 months before the date.