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Clara Collantes brings Maravillas and Tulsa together to call for more equality in Madrid music
Maravillas programmer and Tulsa guitarist Clara Collantes argues that series such as Mujeres en Vivo 2026 remain necessary, although real equality in Madrid’s music scene is still far off.
Clara Collantes combines her role as programmer at Maravillas and guitarist in Tulsa. Her perspective connects the needs of artists and venues. Mujeres en Vivo 2026 strengthens women’s presence in Madrid’s music scene. The local scene is evolving, but real equality remains a challenge.
Clara Collantes (Berklee musicologist, Maravillas Club programmer since 2015, Tulsa guitarist since 2021, former member of El Día Después/La Ruleta China) links stage and management: 25 years’ experience (jazz/flamenco fusion/pop), collaborations with Nacho Goberna/El Zurdo/Lidia Damunt/Sierra/Alondra Bentley. Mujeres en Vivo 2026 (6–29 March, 60+ concerts/35 Madrid en Vivo venues) includes Maravillas: María Laín/Ángela Pardal/Dora Morelenbaum/Carø/Marilia + closing event with Natita Cruz/La Groupie. Collantes calls for sustained equality (not only in March), criticises male-dominated decision-making spaces.
In Madrid, the musical programming of venues such as Maravillas sets the pulse of weekends and redefines the city’s cultural atmosphere. Clara Collantes, in charge of Maravillas’s programming and guitarist in Tulsa, brings a dual perspective: she knows at close quarters both musicians’ concerns and the technical and logistical needs of venues. This experience allows her to anticipate details that facilitate teamwork and improve the experience of those who take to the stage.
Collantes considers that initiatives such as Mujeres en Vivo 2026 remain essential for making women’s talent visible, although she insists that women’s presence must be constant and not limited to particular dates. In her view, the real transformation of Madrid’s music scene requires a sustained effort throughout the year, since the sector’s inertia does not change on its own.
Her path in music began almost 25 years ago, when she started playing in Madrid venues at a very young age. Although she trained as a musicologist, her career has been forged on stages, from jazz and flamenco fusion to pop. She has collaborated with artists such as Nacho Goberna, El Zurdo, Lidia Damunt and Sierra, and since 2021 has been part of Tulsa, where she is preparing a new album. She also accompanies Alondra Bentley live and has taken part in recording her latest album.
Collantes’s arrival at Maravillas’s programming was almost accidental a decade ago. She acknowledges the support she received early on from other programmers such as Marcela San Martín, Sara Navarro and Mar Rojo. Since then, she has sought for the programming to reflect the diversity of Madrid’s scene, giving space to new groups and paying particular attention to proposals from women and the LGTBQ+ community.
Of these years, Collantes values above all the contact with passionate people and the privilege of witnessing talent live, as well as the teamwork that sustains the day-to-day running of venues. Among the recent concerts she remembers particularly fondly is Emma Pollock’s, an artist with more than three decades of career who, despite the sector’s difficulties for independent and female profiles, continues to bring freshness and experience.
On equality in the music scene, Collantes is clear: although progress has been made, decision-making spaces remain mostly male and women’s presence does not correspond to their real weight in society. She considers that much remains to be done to achieve effective equality in teams, festivals and sustained professional careers.
As for recommendations for Mujeres en Vivo 2026, Collantes acknowledges that this year she will only be able to attend the Maravillas concerts, but highlights the variety of proposals and mentions artists such as María Laín, Ángela Pardal, Dora Morelenbaum, Carø and Marilia, as well as the closing event with Natita Cruz and La Groupie. The series has allowed her to discover new voices and broaden her perspective on the current scene.
Maravillas, located in the heart of Malasaña, has established itself as a key space for live music in Madrid. Its programming is committed to diversity and constant renewal, becoming a meeting point for those seeking different proposals and a close atmosphere. The venue reflects the pulse of a city that, little by little, is opening more spaces to plurality and emerging talent. Madrid is already beginning to move in that direction.