Tour Dates: 15 Dec - 23 Dec, 2008

Agustin Maruri - Guitar
Michael Kevin Jones - Violoncello

 Since British cellist Michael Kevin Jones and Spanish guitarist Agustín Maruri decided to experiment in the chamber music field and play some music together in a summer concert series in Madrid in 1990,The Jones & Maruri cello guitar duo has become one of the fewestablished cello guitar ensembles in the world and enjoys a very active concert and recording career. Although they keep their respective solo activities they meet every year to play together some concerts and to prepare new programs and new recordings.

Michael Jones and Agustín Maruri have since played concerts in Europe, North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand. Their first US tour was in 1991 and included concerts in New York and St. Augustine. Since then they have performed each year in the USA, giving recitals in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C, Atlanta, Toronto Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa at venues such as the Lincoln Centre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hancock Centre, Woodruff Arts Centre, Salle  Vincent D'Indy and at several festivals in Cuba, Argentina, México and throughout South America.

Agustín Maruri has investigated the original historic repertoire for this unusual combination and their discography includes a first world recording of rare compositions from the nineteenth century for cello and guitar, presenting music by Leonhard Von Call, Thomas Matiegka and Friedrich Dotzauer. They have also recorded the original repertoire of the twentieth century for this combination and have inspired living composers to write for them such as Pedro Sáenz, Francesco Telli, Erik Marchelie, Nicholas Marshall, Jose María Sáncez-Verdú, Stefano Catalano and Drew Hemenger.

In 1996 due to their special success in Asia they were invited to record a CD of Chinese traditional melody for the Taiwanese record label "Maysun".

In 1999 Agustín Maruri started a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the first of a series of recordings was "The Charm of Spain"; a collection of Spanish romantic melodies from the nineteenth century performing on instruments from the museum's exclusive collection. In 2005 they released a new album: "Don Quijote y Dulcinea" , a compilation of original compositions for the dúo including music by Erik Marchelie, Ferdinad Rebay, Hans Maria Anton Hauswirth, Drew Hemenger, Walter Jentsch and Radames Gnattali. One of the characteristics of this singular duo is their devotion to the original repertoire and the creation of new music by outstanding young composers who, attracted by the special sonority and rare beauty of this instrumental combination have written new music for them. This coexistence of original XIX century repertoire and the arise of new works gives the Jones&Maruri duo a wide range and musical diversity in their live and recorded programs.

Agustin Maruri, Guitar

He has given concerts in the five continents performing in Austria, Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland, Finland, England, USA, Canada, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Argentina, México, Chile, Cuba, Panama, Guatemala, Santo Domingo, Paraguay, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Morocco, Senegal, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

He has performed in halls such as The Grand Theatre (La Habana), National Hall, (Madrid), Royal Dublin Society, Tuomikirkon, (Helsinki) Votivkirche (Vienna), Circulo Artistico Napolitano, Atlapa Hall (Panama), Covarrubias Hall (México), Charles III Theatre (Madrid), India International Centre (New Delhi), Central Superior Conservatoire (Peking), Villa Decius (Krakow), Lincoln Centre (New York), John Hancock Centre (Chicago), National Gallery (Dublin), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Kunsthal (Rotterdam) and Radio Hall (Warsaw), Salle Vincent-d'Indy (Montreal), National museum (Stockholm), Konserthus (Oslo), At Al Hashemi II Grand Ballroom (Kuwait City), Melngalvju Namá (Riga), City Hall (Tallin)

Maruri represented Spain in Athens during the concert celebrated by Greek Radio Television in 1989 for the EU Greek Presidency. In 1990 he received the medal of the Spanish College in Paris. In 1995 performed live for the Central Chinese Radio and in 1997 performed for the RTE in Dublin.

He has given masterclasess as invited Profesor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, the Cork School of Music, the New Delhi School of Music, and the Peking Superior Conservatory.

Among the composer who have written for him are, Francesco Telli, Pedro Sáenz, Jose Maria Sánchez Verdú, Josep Pascual, Erik Marchelie, Manuel Seco, Zhangbing, Paul Coles, etc.

Maruri has premier many guitar works including Torroba′s "Interludios", Francesco Telli′s, "Serenata", etc.

His work in the rediscovery of Adam Falckenhagen′s music has received acclaim by the Yuste European Academy, who awards him in 1996. In 1999 Maruri started a series of recording for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, using the original historical instruments from the Museum′s′collection.

His discography , (23 CD), is distributed worldwide receiving audiences and critics recognition.His last recording dedicated to Andrés Segovia's original compositions has been awarded at the International Guitar Festival of Valencia in 2007.

Michael Kevin Jones, Violoncello

British-born cellist Michael Kevin Jones started playing the cello at the age of 13.  By the age of 16 he had decided on a career playing the cello.  His first teachers were Pauline Ballard and  Dulce Haigh Marshall . He  studied at Dartington College of Arts with Michael Evans       before going on to the Royal College of Music in London where he was a pupil of Joan Dickson for four years.  During his time in London he won prizes for solo and chamber music playing and was chosen to perform for the British Royal Family.

In 1984 he decided to study with the great teacher Johannes Goritski in Germany, and was awarded a German Government Scholarship to do so.  This was the start of the transition from student to professional. While still a student Michael became solo cellist for the German Chamber Academy, playing concerts all over the world and in major music festivals such as Salzburg, Lockenhaus and Kuhmo.  At this time he also studied full time, participating in the solo masterclass courses at the Hindemith Foundation in Switzerland, studying chamber music with the Amadeus, Vermeer and La Salle Quartets. Tours included China , Rumania , and France, as well as recordings with WDR, the BBC and collaborations with well-known artists.

In Spain he met the Spanish classical guitarist Agustin Maruri, with whom he began a very successful collaboration, forming what was to become one of the only established cello-guitar classical duos in the world.  As a performing duo they have toured the world and have recorded most of the literature for this combination.

After recording The Charm of Spain, an anthology of 19th century Spanish melodies, for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2000 using an 1850 Vuillaume cello from the Musical Instruments Collection , Michael was invited back in 2002 to record the complete suites for cello by J. S. Bach, this time using a privately loaned Antonio Stradivarius cello.

Michael Jones enjoys diverse types of music and has played with many different types of performing groups, from the Virtuosi of Moscow, and the New York Philharmonia Virtuosi to  Lindsay Kemp Contemporary Dance Company and Popular Singer Carlos Cano.