Maite Larburu is a highly versatile musician and artist. After studying classical violin, she went on to specialise in Early Music at the Amsterdam Conservatory with the help of the "Nicanor Zabaleta" award and scholarship. As a result, she has worked with some of the most significant Early Music groups in Central Europe over the last 15 years, including Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, B´rock, Anima Eterna Brugge, Holland Baroque, Ricercar Consort, Les Timbres, Capriccio Stravagante, Solamente Naturali, and Vox Luminis.
The violin is not Larburu’s only creative weapon. Recently, she has expanded her artistic pursuits beyond the violin and delved into composition, voice, guitar, and other instruments. She has also engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly in the area of theatre.
Her studies have played a significant role in shaping her musical style. Notably, her exploration of Central European early music has deeply influenced her songwriting. Much like renaissance musicians, Larburu searches for the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic equivalent in the meaning of her lyrics. She combines the concrete and the abstract. While she identifies herself primarily as a Folk and Pop artist, her recent albums have embraced elements of Rock as well. Her musical style has occasionally been characterized as progressive folk.
After releasing two albums with Neighbor – ‘Ura patrikan’ (2013) and ‘Hau’ (2016), Maite launched her solo career in 2019. She has released two solo albums to date: ‘Hezurren azpian’ (2019) and her most recent album, ‘Krak’ (2021).
The latest album is a mosaic of diverse musical visions and fragments brought to life through various collaborative efforts. In addition to singing, Larburu plays the violin, viola, classical and electric guitar, and experiments with the synthesizer. ‘Krak’ also features Carlos Taroncher on bass clarinet, Karlos Arancegui on drums and Garazi Navas on accordion. As for lyrics, the album contains songs by Larburu as well as lyrics by other Basque writers, such as Harkaitz Cano, the poet Raymond Carver, and the theatre company Axut! One of the album´s standout gems, a track called Arrailak, lies in the verses that recount an anecdote from Maite´s grandmother, describing her experience of menstruating for the first time. ´Krak’ won the Musika Bulegoa award in 2022.
