Comberti-Cole Duo

Born in the USA, Maggie Cole has made her home in the UK for the past 40 years. During this time, she has enjoyed a career playing harpsichord, fortepiano and piano. She will always be grateful for the superb tuition received here, most notably from Jill Severs on harpsichord, and for the extraordinary opportunities that living in Europe has brought to her. 

Maggie is harpsichordist with Britten Sinfonia and has performed with The Nash Ensemble and London Sinfonietta in music that ranges from J.S. Bach to Henri Duttileux. As a soloist her repertoire includes the 17th and 18th century harpsichord composers, those of the Classical and early Romantic era and works from the 20th century. Gavin Bryars wrote ‘After Handel’s Vesper’ for her and Maggie takes every opportunity to perform this and works by Ligeti and Andriesson as well as the early 20th century harpsichord concertos by de Falla, Poulenc and Gerhard.

Maggie has recorded a diverse repertoire which includes on harpsichord; Scarlatti and Soler solo sonatas, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, his violin sonatas with Catherine Mackintosh, his flute sonatas with Philippa Davies and Boccherini cello sonatas with Steven Isserlis. Another particular delight was in recording Poulenc’s “Concert Champêtre” with Richard Hickox and the City of London Sinfonia. On fortepiano she has recorded trios by Haydn and Beethoven with Trio Goya and ‘Mozartiana’ with Sebastian Comberti. She can be heard on modern piano in two recordings of Romantic flute music with flautist Idit Shemer.

Maggie is Professor of fortepiano at the Guildhall School of Music and teaches all three keyboard instruments from her home in West London. 

SEBASTIAN COMBERTI was born in London and studied with Amedeo Baldovino and later with Derek Simpson at the Royal Academy of Music. He was a founder member of the Bochmann Quartet until 1983 when he became principal cello with the London Mozart Players, a position he will relinquish at the end of the current Season. 

A keen interest in historically informed performance has resulted in participation with a great many of London’s period instrument groups, appearing as principal cello and soloist with the OAE and the Hanover Band.   

As a member of several chamber groups, including Trio Goya and Divertimenti Ensemble he has recorded for CRD, EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Meridian, Phoenix and  RCA and CPO,  solo recordings include concertos by Geoffrey Hanson and Peter Fribbins,  Haydn and Zumsteeg with the OAE, solo works by Kenneth V Jones, sonatas by Boccherini, Stephen Paxton,  and early 19th Century works with fortepiano.