The Sicilia Jazz Festival 2025, now in its fifth edition, reaffirms its status as a major cultural event, showcasing an impressive lineup of 85 concerts: eight orchestral productions, 61 performances in the Village area, 14 regional concerts, and two in community-based venues. The festival engages 385 musicians, features five world premieres with artists like Village People, Nina Zilli, Piero Pelù, Jazzmeia Horn, and Victor Wooten, and presents three national exclusives with John Pizzarelli, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Eliane Elias. Representing nine countries, the festival fosters nine international collaborations, hosts three graduation concerts with Sicilian conservatories, and includes one Erasmus+ concert. It generates 760 workdays and features five conductors.
Kicking off on June 22 at the Teatro di Verdura, the festival opens with global icons Village People, whose hit “Y.M.C.A.” is enshrined in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame. With over 100 million records sold, Village People perform for the first time with a big band, the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana, alongside stars like Cécile McLorin Salvant, Eliane Elias, Victor Wooten, Jazzmeia Horn, John Pizzarelli, Piero Pelù, and Nina Zilli—artists collectively honored with numerous Grammy Awards. This ambitious program, led by artistic director Luca Luzzu, features arrangements by four arrangers and direction by five conductors, including principal conductor Domenico Riina, Paolo Lepore, Vito Giordano, Antonino Pedone, and Piero Romano.
Running from June 22 to July 6, the Sicilia Jazz Festival is the world’s only festival dedicated entirely to orchestral productions, spotlighting the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana–The Brass Group. Performances, including eight big-band productions, will take place at Palermo’s historic venues, such as the Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, the Santa Maria dello Spasimo Monumental Complex, the Real Teatro Santa Cecilia, and the 18th-century Villa Castelnuovo’s Teatro di Verdura, with the Botanical Garden added this year. Tickets are available via bluetickets.it.
Promoted by the Sicilian Region’s Department of Tourism, Sport, and Entertainment and founded by Maestro Ignazio Garsia, President of the Fondazione Orchestra Jazz Siciliana–The Brass Group, the festival is a collaborative effort with the City and University of Palermo, regional conservatories, and local institutions. It fosters synergy between educational institutions, local musicians, and workers. The lineup features Village People (June 22), John Pizzarelli (June 24), Victor Wooten (June 26), Nina Zilli (June 28), Cécile McLorin Salvant (June 30), Jazzmeia Horn (July 2), Piero Pelù (July 4), and Eliane Elias (July 6), all performing with the Sicilian Jazz Orchestra.
For over 50 years, the Brass Group has championed jazz as a tool for intercultural dialogue and regional revitalization. Launched during the pandemic, the festival symbolizes resilience and cultural renewal. In 2011, UNESCO, through Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, recognized jazz as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, celebrating its universal values. Sicilian conservatories, including Alessandro Scarlatti (Palermo), Arturo Toscanini (Ribera), Arcangelo Corelli (Messina), Antonio Scontrino (Trapani), and Vincenzo Bellini (Catania), will showcase student talent, emphasizing the festival’s commitment to nurturing young musicians.
The festival also serves as a platform for promoting Sicilian jazz as a cultural and tourism driver, featuring resident musicians and international stars. Approximately 100 concerts will animate Palermo’s historic venues, offering a stage for both masters and emerging talents. International partnerships, facilitated by the World Jazz Network (founded by renowned international artist Alexander Beets) and the Brass Group Foundation, position Sicily at the heart of a global cultural exchange. Collaborations with festivals in the Netherlands (Licks and Brains Big Band), Poland (Sylwester Ostrowski One Voice), the Canary Islands (La Local Jazz Band), and Bulgaria (Antonio Forcione & Cenk Erdogan) underscore jazz’s role as a universal language. Spearheaded by Fabio Lannino, these efforts enhance artistic mobility and promote Sicilian culture globally, celebrating creative exchange and Mediterranean identity.
Kicking off on June 22 at the Teatro di Verdura, the festival opens with global icons Village People, whose hit “Y.M.C.A.” is enshrined in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame. With over 100 million records sold, Village People perform for the first time with a big band, the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana, alongside stars like Cécile McLorin Salvant, Eliane Elias, Victor Wooten, Jazzmeia Horn, John Pizzarelli, Piero Pelù, and Nina Zilli—artists collectively honored with numerous Grammy Awards. This ambitious program, led by artistic director Luca Luzzu, features arrangements by four arrangers and direction by five conductors, including principal conductor Domenico Riina, Paolo Lepore, Vito Giordano, Antonino Pedone, and Piero Romano.
Running from June 22 to July 6, the Sicilia Jazz Festival is the world’s only festival dedicated entirely to orchestral productions, spotlighting the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana–The Brass Group. Performances, including eight big-band productions, will take place at Palermo’s historic venues, such as the Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, the Santa Maria dello Spasimo Monumental Complex, the Real Teatro Santa Cecilia, and the 18th-century Villa Castelnuovo’s Teatro di Verdura, with the Botanical Garden added this year. Tickets are available via bluetickets.it.
Promoted by the Sicilian Region’s Department of Tourism, Sport, and Entertainment and founded by Maestro Ignazio Garsia, President of the Fondazione Orchestra Jazz Siciliana–The Brass Group, the festival is a collaborative effort with the City and University of Palermo, regional conservatories, and local institutions. It fosters synergy between educational institutions, local musicians, and workers. The lineup features Village People (June 22), John Pizzarelli (June 24), Victor Wooten (June 26), Nina Zilli (June 28), Cécile McLorin Salvant (June 30), Jazzmeia Horn (July 2), Piero Pelù (July 4), and Eliane Elias (July 6), all performing with the Sicilian Jazz Orchestra.
For over 50 years, the Brass Group has championed jazz as a tool for intercultural dialogue and regional revitalization. Launched during the pandemic, the festival symbolizes resilience and cultural renewal. In 2011, UNESCO, through Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, recognized jazz as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, celebrating its universal values. Sicilian conservatories, including Alessandro Scarlatti (Palermo), Arturo Toscanini (Ribera), Arcangelo Corelli (Messina), Antonio Scontrino (Trapani), and Vincenzo Bellini (Catania), will showcase student talent, emphasizing the festival’s commitment to nurturing young musicians.
The festival also serves as a platform for promoting Sicilian jazz as a cultural and tourism driver, featuring resident musicians and international stars. Approximately 100 concerts will animate Palermo’s historic venues, offering a stage for both masters and emerging talents. International partnerships, facilitated by the World Jazz Network (founded by renowned international artist Alexander Beets) and the Brass Group Foundation, position Sicily at the heart of a global cultural exchange. Collaborations with festivals in the Netherlands (Licks and Brains Big Band), Poland (Sylwester Ostrowski One Voice), the Canary Islands (La Local Jazz Band), and Bulgaria (Antonio Forcione & Cenk Erdogan) underscore jazz’s role as a universal language. Spearheaded by Fabio Lannino, these efforts enhance artistic mobility and promote Sicilian culture globally, celebrating creative exchange and Mediterranean identity.
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