Formed in Madrid in 1990, Michael Jones and Agustin Maruri have since played concerts in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia. 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 United States, giving recitals in New York, Chicago, Houston, Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, at venues such as the Lincoln Centre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hancock Centre and at festivals in the US, Cuba and Venezuela.

The duo has investigated the original historic repertoire for their combination. Agustin Maruri has received scholarships and awards as a result of, and towards, his work as a musicologist, discovering many lost or forgotten works in the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid, the Munich Library and the British Museum. Their discography includes the first recording in the world of original compositions from the 19th century for cello and guitar, including music by Leonhard von Call, Thomas Matiegka and Friedrich Dotzauer. They have also recorded most of the original repertoire of the 20th century for this combination and have inspired living composers to write for them such as Pedro Saenz, Francesco Telli, Erik Marchelie, Nicholas Marshall, Jose Maria Sanchez Verdu, Drew Hemenger, Paul Coles and Satoshi Tanaka.

Their recording “Original Music for Cello and Guitar” was a top ten in the classical market in Hong Kong for one year. Due to this success in East Asia, they were invited to record a CD of traditional Chinese melodies for the Taiwanese record label Maysun.

In 1999 Jones and Maruri recorded for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York '”The Charm of Spain”, a collection of Spanish romantic melodies from the 19th century performing on instruments from the museum's collection.

In 2004 they released their recording of “Don Quijote y Dulcinea” and toured North America and the Middle East.

Following their debut tour of Japan and the Far East in July 2007, the duo was invited to perform in China in 2008 playing concerts in the Forbidden City concert hall, as well as Shanghai and other cities in the People’s Republic. Since then they have performed in Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines and 2010 brings new recording projects as well as the premier of a new piece written for cello guitar and chamber orchestra by the composer of the popular' Don Quijote y Dulcinea' , Erik Marchelie.

Michael Jones, cello

British born cellist Michael Jones started to play at the age of 13, his first teachers being Pauline Ballard and Dulce Haigh Marshall. He studied at Dartington College with Michael Evans before going on to the Royal College of Music where he was a pupil of Joan Dickson. During his time in London he won prizes for solo and chamber music playing, was chosen to perform for the British Royal Family and was awarded a scholarship from the German Government to study cello under the great teacher Johannes Goritzki in Dusseldorf.

While a student in Germany he became solo cellist for the German Chamber Academy, playing concerts around the world and in major music festivals such as Salzburg, Lockenhaus and Kuhmo. He continued to study music full time, participating in the solo masterclass courses at the Hindemith Foundation in Switzerland, and studying chamber music with the Amadeus, Vermeer and La Salle Quartets. Tours included China, Europe, the Americas, Australia and the Middle East, as well as recordings with WDR, the BBC and collaborations with well-known artists and groups such as the Moscow Virtuosi, Lindsay Kemp and Carlos Cano.

In 2002 he recorded the complete Bach Suites for Solo Cello on a 1667 Stradivarius Violoncello for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. More recently in July 2007, Jones made his debut concert tour of Japan and the Far East with his cello guitar duo, the only duo of its kind in the world. Resulting from the tour, the duo was invited to perform in China during the Olympic year.

Michael has lived in London, Cologne, Madrid and New York. He currently spends his free time in the Andalucian town of Jimena de la Frontera where he has started a cello education centre which serves the Costa del Sol area in southern Spain and Gibraltar.

In 2009 he was awarded the blue moon Swiss audio award for his recording of solo Bach and 2010 marks the start of a new series of recordings both contemporary solo cello music and classical masterpieces .

Other plans for 2010 include concert tours of Canada, the United States, Taiwan, the Balkans, South America and Spain

Agustin Maruri, guitar

Agustin Maruri 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, Morroco, Senegal, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Omán 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, (Kracov), Lincoln Centre, (New York), John Hancock Centre, (Chicago), National Gallery, (Dublin), Metropolitan Museum of Art, (New York), Kunsthal, (Rotterdam) and Radio Hall (Wasrsaw), Salle Vincent-d’Indy, (Montreal), Nationalmuseum, (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 master classes as invited Professor 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 award 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.