Ripatransone, a medieval hill town in Italy, will host the first Ripa International Festival of Sound from September 24 to 27, 2026. The event is designed around education, industry development, and international community-building in music recording and technology, with early registration drawing participants from nine countries from Finland to Australia.
The festival was conceived by Ronan Chris Murphy, the American record producer, engineer, and educator associated with Recording Boot Camp retreats. Its three pillars are English-language professional workshops and masterclasses, cultural immersion in Le Marche, and international networking. Faculty includes Murphy, Simone Coen, Pepe Gasparini, Mike Lembo, and Lij Shaw, with a pass price of 100 Euros. Cultural programming includes a pasta-making class and tastings of wines from Ripatransone and the wider Marche region, and one venue is Teatro Luigi Mercantini, a 200-year-old theater inside the Palazzo del Podestà, which was built in 1304.
The festival is organized as a strictly nonprofit volunteer-run event, with the local municipality, the Comune of Ripatransone, providing historic facilities free of charge. All pass-sale proceeds go directly to local cultural organizations, and early sponsors include FBT Loudspeakers, the Aloud music school, and Chocolate Audio. The article also places the event in Le Marche’s music-technology heritage, citing legacy brands such as Farfisa, Eko, Elka, Siel, and Crumar, and noting Castelfidardo as the accordion capital of the world.