Maite Arruabarrena was born in Rentería (Guipuzcoa – Basque Country). She began her musical studies with José Luis Ansorena and sang with the Andra Mari Choir, ensemble where she will develop an intense activity as a soloist in many concerts at the Basque Country and many Spanish cities.

She studies in the San Sebastián Superior Conservatory and in the School of Singing of the Orfeón Donostiarra.

At seventeen she was acclaimed by the specialized critic after her début in the Festival de Música Religiosa de Cuenca.

From 1980 to 1988 she makes numerous recitals at the Archivo de Compositores Vascos (ERESBIL) of Rentería in order to present the vocal music of the Basque Country.

In 1987 she enters to be a member of the ensemble La Capella Reial de Catalunya, conducted by Jordi Savall, and specialized in the interpretation of baroque and renaissance music, and from then she initiates a collaboration that takes her to sing at the moust prestigious concert halls such as Koncertgebow of Amsterdam, Konzerthaus of Viena, Lincoln Center of New York, Fundaçao Gulbenkian of Lisboa, Palace of Versailles and many theatres and auditoriums in Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Spain, etc.

She has collaborated too with many early music ensembles like La Capella Peñaflorida, Neocantes, Al aire español, Accentus Austria etc.

In 1988 she receives the degree in Psychology by the University of the Basque Country; in the same year she receives a scholarship of the Basque Government and she goes to Italy where she will perfeccionate her musical studies with the Claude Thiolas.

In 1989 she is awarded First Prize in the Toti Dal Monte International Contest for singers, celebrated in Treviso (Italy), and from then the opera becomes her habitual repertoire along with oratorio and recital.


She has sung many operatic roles included:

“La Cenerentola” by Rossini (Cenerentola) in the Festival Mozart of Madrid, Quincena Musical of San Sebastián, Palacio de Festivales of Santander, Guimerá of Tenerife, Auditorio of A Coruña, Gayarre of Pamplona, Farándula of Sabadell, Bellas Artes of Ciudad de México...
“Il barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini (Rosina) in the Teatre de la Commedie of Montpellier, Auditorio of Estrasburgo, Campoamor of Oviedo, Cervantes of Málaga, Principal of Palma de Mallorca, Opera of A Coruña, Palacio de Festivales of Santander...
“Don Giovanni” (Zerlina),” Le nozze di Figaro” (Cherubino), “Così fan tutte” (Dorabella and Despina) and “La clemenza di Tito” (Annio) in the ABAO of Bilbao, Palacio de Festivales of Santander, Festival Mozart of A Coruña, Teatro Cuyás of Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, Auditorio Nacional of Madrid, Teatro Comunale of Treviso, Vittorio Emanuele of Messina, Comunale of Rovigo, Coliseo Albia of Bilbao...
“Falstaff” by Verdi (Meg) at the Teatro de la Zarzuela of Madrid, Pérez Galdós of Las Palmas, Arriaga of Bilbao, Palacio de Festivales of Santander, Maestranza of Sevilla, Cervantes of Málaga...
“Les contes d’Hoffmann” by Offenbach (Nicklausse) at the Teatro Pérez Galdós of Las Palmas, Opera of A Coruña...
“L’Orfeo” by Monteverdi (Speranza) at the Liceu of Barcelona and at the Teatro Real of Madrid.
“Faust” by Gounod (Siebel) at the Pérez Galdós of Las Palmas, Principal of Palma de Mallorca.
“I puritani” by Bellini (Enrichetta di Francia) at the Auditorio del Kursaal of San Sebastián, Maestranza of Sevilla, Principal of Palma de Mallorca.
“Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky (Olga) at the Cervantes of Málaga.
“Cavallería rusticana” by Leoncavallo (Lola) and “La forza del destino” by Verdi (Preziosilla) at the Coliseo Albia of Bilbao.
“Lo speziale” by Haydn (Volpino) at the Maestranza of Sevilla.
“Rigoletto” by Verdi (Maddalena) at the Cervantes of Málaga, Campoamor of Oviedo, Auditorio of A Coruña.
“Manon Lescaut” by Puccini (Musico) at the Teatro de la Maestranza of Sevilla.
“Juditha Triumphans” by Vivaldi (Ozias) at the Auditorio Nacional of Madrid.
“Goyescas” by Granados (Lola) at the auditorio of Lérida and at the Palau de la Música of Barcelona.
“Zigor” by Escudero (Sorgin) at the Euskalduna of Bilbao.

Maite Arruabarrena has sung with great singers like Marilyn Horne, Teresa Berganza, José van Dam, Gabriel Bacquie, Ramón Vargas, Lucia Valentini Terrani, Dolora, Ernesto Palacio, Juan Pons, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Mariella Devia, Giorgio Zancanaro, Giuseppe Giacomini, Carlos Alvarez , Ainhoa Arteta, Ann Murray, William Matteuzzi, Scharon Sweet, Simon Estes, Giorgio Surjan, Daniela Dessì, María Bayo, etc. and with prestigious conductors like Peter Maag, Alberto Zedda, Nevill Marriner, Ivan Fischer, Daniel Lipton, Franz Brüggen, Marco Armiliato, Maurizio Benini, Christian Segarici, Victor Pablo Pérez, Miguel Angel Gómez Martínez, Enrique García Asensio, Randall Behr, Giuliano Carella, Antonello Allemandi, Philip Herrevegge, Antoni Ros Marbá, Theodor Gusclhbauer , Claudio Scimone, Christopher Hogwood etc.

Since 2001 she is Singing Teacher at the Musikene (Musical Superior Center at the Basque Country).