CONSERVATORIO “SAN PIETRO A MAJELLA”

The "San Pietro a Majella" Conservatory represents the institutional and historical center of gravity of the festival. Its complex identity is the result of the convergence of the three ancient Neapolitan conservatories of the 16th century, born as welfare structures and transformed into excellent music schools open to secular and civil instances.

Established in 1826 in the former monastery of the Celestines, the institute has followed the transformations of modern musical history. Today it has a dual nature: an autonomous statutory body guarding an invaluable historical heritage, and a state institute of public education.

Within the napoliGROUND ecosystem, the Conservatory acts as a "field of material investigation." The imposing gravity of its academic history is placed at the disposal of contemporary research, transforming its monumental spaces into an ideal testing ground for colliding rigorous musical tradition with the deconstructive practices of sonic arts.

Sala Scarlatti

Inaugurated in 1925 and rebuilt in 1996, it is the premier environment for the Institute’s educational and artistic offerings. Characterized by the imposing 4000-pipe Tamburini organ, the hall is a multifunctional space open to experimentation and the integration of multimedia languages. Within napoliGROUND, the Scarlatti hosts major productions: from Jean-François Laporte’s concert for Babel Table to the live scoring of Terrence Malick’s "Voyage of Time" by OEOAS.

Sala Martucci

Dedicated to Giuseppe Martucci—former student, teacher, and director of the Conservatory, as well as a key figure in Italian instrumental romanticism—this hall is a multifunctional academic space. Traditionally used for conferences and chamber concerts, during the festival it becomes one of the operational centers for SPaMEC, hosting study sessions and masterclasses.

Sala Muti

Formerly the foyer of the Sala Scarlatti, the room was named after Riccardo Muti in 2014. In the geography of napoliGROUND, the space hosts the site-specific sound installation Re/Compose, along with moments of theoretical discussion and study days.

Aula 38 and Aula S2

Together with the control room of the Sala Scarlatti, these classrooms constitute the research and production hub of the Department of New Technologies and Musical Languages. Aula 38, the historic home of the Electronic Music courses, is the place of sedimentation for electroacoustic research in Naples. These rooms host the Paper Sessions of the SPaMEC conference and masterclasses.