Sicilian tenors and tenors in Sicily: the great names and a tenor for your event

Sicily is a land of voices. Vincenzo Bellini, the composer of Norma and La sonnambula and the most "singable" of them all, was born here; here are the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the largest opera house in Italy, and the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania; here folk songs, from Vitti 'na crozza to Ciuri ciuri, still accompany feasts and serenades. It is no coincidence that some of the best-loved tenors of the 20th century came from the island: Sicilian tenors have sung at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, at La Scala in Milan and in the great opera houses of the world.

This page tells the story of the famous Sicilian tenors, those who made history and those of today, and of the tenors in Sicily you can hear on the island, and explains where and for which occasions you can hear a Sicilian tenor live: Corrado Ilarion Tuccitto, known as Ilarion, tenor and composer.

Famous Sicilian tenors

Born in Sicily or children of Sicilian families, they took the voice of the island to opera houses all over the world.

• Giuseppe Di Stefano (1921-2008), from Motta Sant'Anastasia, in the province of Catania: Maria Callas's great partner, a warm and sunny voice, one of the most famous tenors in the world. Much loved in Sicilian and Neapolitan songs too.
• Salvatore Licitra (1968-2011), from a Sicilian family: in 2002 he replaced Luciano Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in Tosca and became famous overnight.
• Marcello Giordani (1963-2019), from Augusta, in the province of Syracuse: for years one of the leading tenors at the Metropolitan Opera.
• Roberto Alagna (1963), born in France to a Sicilian family: one of the best-known tenors of his generation.

Sicilian tenors today

The tradition lives on in popular music too: two of the three young singers of Il Volo, the group that took bel canto into the charts worldwide and won the Sanremo Festival in 2015, are Sicilian tenors. Piero Barone is from Naro, in the province of Agrigento; Ignazio Boschetto grew up in Marsala. And on the island, every week, in churches, concerts and events, sings Corrado Ilarion Tuccitto.

Their stories, together with those of Caruso, Gigli, Pavarotti and the other greats, are on the page about Italian tenors.

Tenors in Sicily today: Corrado Ilarion Tuccitto

Corrado Ilarion Tuccitto, known as Ilarion, is a lyric tenor and composer from eastern Sicily. He studied at the Conservatory of Caltanissetta; at seventeen he received an award from the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Luciano Violante, and since then he has sung in cathedrals, theatres, on cruise ships and at international events. Those who have heard him live, singing teachers included, call him "the Bocelli of the South".

• Opera arias, in the tradition of the Italian bel canto school.
• Sicilian and Neapolitan song: serenades, classics and traditional music, in his concert of Neapolitan classics, serenades and Sicilian music.
• Sacred music: Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, Ave Verum, sung live while accompanying himself on the organ.
• Original compositions: songs, waltzes and pieces in different genres, all available to listen to on the home page.

He sings in Italian, English, Spanish and Greek: a Sicilian voice for guests arriving from all over the world.

Where he sings in Sicily

Ilarion sings all over Sicily, from the baroque churches of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the seaside towns of the Ionian coast. Each area has its own page.

Tenors in Catania

Catania is the city of Vincenzo Bellini and of the Teatro Massimo that bears his name, and the homeland of Giuseppe Di Stefano. Ilarion sings in Catania and its province for church weddings, from the Cathedral of Sant'Agata to the baroque churches of the centre, for concerts and events: wedding tenor in Catania and church wedding musicians in Catania.

Tenors in Ragusa and Modica

Ragusa Ibla and Modica are among the jewels of the Val di Noto baroque: the Cathedral of San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla and that of San Giorgio in Modica are among the most spectacular churches in Sicily, perfect for a live Ave Maria. Ilarion sings in Ragusa, Modica and throughout the province, as well as in Syracuse and Noto: wedding tenor in Syracuse, Noto, Ragusa and Modica.

Messina, Taormina and Giardini Naxos

• Messina and its province: church wedding musicians in Messina, and town by town in the province of Messina.
• Taormina: wedding tenor in Taormina.
• Giardini Naxos: church music in Giardini Naxos.

Palermo

In the city of the Teatro Massimo: wedding tenor in Palermo.

For which occasions

• Church weddings: the Ave Maria, the sung Mass, the music of the rite.
• Luxury weddings and gala dinners in villas, palaces, castles and resorts, together with wedding planners and event managers.
• Concerts of Neapolitan classics, serenades and Sicilian music, of about 45 minutes.
• Tour groups and cruise passengers visiting the island's ports: live music for cruise passengers and groups.
• Surprise sung flash mobs, with friends and family: how it works.
• A song of your own, composed by Ilarion: the custom wedding song.

A Sicilian tenor beyond Sicily

Beyond the island, Ilarion sings in Calabria, on the Amalfi Coast, on Lake Como, in Tuscany and in Venice, and he also travels abroad: there is a page for those looking for an Italian tenor for events in Europe.

Tell Ilarion about your event.