Maite Hontelé
Hontelé was born in Utrecht, Holland, and was brought up with music: her parents own a huge collection of salsa and son cubano; every day she would listen to Latin music, quite unusual for a Dutch girl.
She studied Latin and jazz trumpet at the conservatory of Rotterdam and started touring with Latin bands, DJs and jazz formations.
In recent years, Maite Hontelé’s life has increasingly been centered around Colombia. There she has built a career of her own and can no longer walk the streets unnoticed.
Her love for Colombia began about ten years ago through tours with Rumbatá Big Band and Cubop City Big Band.
In order to perform more often in Latin America, she released her first CD titled "Llegó la Mona". The accompanying promotional tour was such a success that Hontelé decided that same year to move to Medellín, Colombia. She was welcomed with open arms. In 2010 she released her second album, "Mujer Sonora", a tribute to Cuban styles such as danzón, chachachá, charanga and son.
Maite Hontelé has performed with her band at major festivals in Colombia, at the North Sea Jazz Festival, and has toured many countries including Peru, South Korea, Malaysia, America, Israel and Mexico. In addition, from 2011 onwards she appears on Dutch stages every six months.
Maite has performed as a special guest on tours and recordings with Rubén Blades, Oscar D'León, Issac Delgado, Yuri Buenaventura, Grupo Gale and other stars of the Latin firmament.
In May 2013, Maite Hontelé was invited to perform as a special guest at the prestigious Cuban music event "Premios Cubadisco" (Cuban Grammys).
In April 2013, her new album "Déjame Así" was released in Colombia, featuring one of the most famous salsa singers ever: Oscar D'León. He "discovered" Maite in 2012 and took her on tour throughout Europe. This was followed by their collaboration on her new album. The album was nominated for a Premio Shock, the main Colombian music award, and was released in the Netherlands in March 2014 by record label V2. That same month, Maite Hontelé toured the Netherlands for the first time with her Colombian band.
At the end of 2013, Maite was proclaimed "Artist of the Year" by Colombian public radio.
Maite Hontele's Adams Gear
After taking a break from playing, she returned to the flugelhorn in 2023 and became the conductor of the NJJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra of The Netherlands). She also performs in a duo with Cuban pianist Ramón Valle. They released their album 'HAVANA' in 2025.
Together with partner in crime, bassist Adinda Meertins, Maite is working on their most ambitious project yet: LA NOVIA. Backed by a band of top musicians from the Latin scene, they blur the lines between Latin and pop—and shake things up in a big way.
In addition to her musical career, Maite works as host presenter for Dutch television, bringing her expertise and enthusiasm for music to a broader audience.
Maite plays on an Adams F1 Selected flugelhorn.