biography

Based in Geneva, Belarusian flautist Maruta Staravoitava is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble player with an international performance career. She is dedicated to exploring new sounds and colours, driven by a passion for uncovering rare compositions from the past while maintaining a strong focus on contemporary music. A vital aspect of her artistic journey involves collaborating with composers, which has led to the premieres of numerous solo and chamber works.

As a dedicated chamber musician, Maruta is a member of several ensembles, including the Kommas Ensemble in Cologne, the Syntax Ensemble in Milan, and the Castel Camerata in Neuchâtel. In 2010, she founded the Inverspace Ensemble in Basel, where she remained an integral member until 2022. That same year, she established a duo with Austrian bassoonist Thomas Kalcher.

Since 2011, Maruta has collaborated regularly with the Experimentalstudio Freiburg, performing works by emerging and established composers, with a particular emphasis on Luigi Nono's musical heritage. Additionally, she has been a guest artist with various ensembles, including Ensemble Contrechamps, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Aventure, Vertixe Sonora, Ensemble Mosaik, Ensemble Garage, Ensemble Contempoarte, and the Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain.

Maruta frequently performs at festivals such as Archipel, Wien Modern, Imago Sloveniae, Acht Brücken, Beethovenfest, Nuova Consonanza, Warsaw Autumn, KLANG Festival, Time Spans, Lucerne Festival, MUSICA, and many others. She has also recorded for several labels, including NEOS, Wergo, Kairos, M.A.P. Editions Milano, and Edition RZ, as both a soloist and a chamber musician.

Born in Minsk, Maruta began her flute studies at the National Arts High School in her hometown before continuing her training with Mario Caroli at the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg. She further honed her skills with Felix Renggli at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel and Marc Hantai at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Additionally, she obtained a Master's degree in 'Théâtre Musical' at the Bern University of the Arts under the direction of Françoise Rivalland. During her studies, Maruta was awarded a scholarship from the Nicati de Luze Foundation in Lausanne and received a special prize from the Severino Gazzelloni Foundation in Florence for her interpretation of the piece "Donax" by Italian composer Ivan Fedele. She also won the unanimous first prize in the UFAM competition, third prize in the ''Parnasse 2007'' competition in Paris, and second prize in the ''Eugen Coca'' competition in Chisinau.