Mara Aranda, born December 6, 1968, in Valencia, is a Spanish singer, composer, and artistic director specializing in world, medieval, and Sephardic music. Aranda began her career in 1990 with the ensemble Cendraires. In 1998, Aranda co-founded L'Ham de Foc with Efrén López, releasing the albums U (1999), Cançó de dona i home (2002), and Cor de porc (2005). She later collaborated with the Al Andaluz Project and the ensemble Solatge. Aranda’s discography includes the albums Sephardic Legacy (2013), Mare Vostrum (2015), and Sefarad en el corazón de Marruecos (2017). In 2017, the latter received the Transglobal World Music Chart award for Best European Album of the Year. In January 2020, Aranda was appointed director of the International Centre of Medieval Music. She manages a collection of over 200 reconstructed medieval musical instruments.
