Maggie Cole 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 JS 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 a recording of romantic flute music by Philippe Gaubert with 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.
She had the great pleasure in 2021of recording the solo harpsichord music used in the play ‘Bach and Sons’ at the Bridge Theatre, London. www.maggiecole.co.uk
Philippa Davies has established a world-wide reputation as one of the finest flautists currently performing. A ‘first-rate virtuoso,’ with ‘exceptional eloquence’ she has been noted for an ‘almost electrical response to technique’.
As a recitalist, Philippa performs and broadcasts throughout the world at international festivals and gives master classes and recitals as far a field as China, and the USA. She has performed concertos with the New Stockholm Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia and the London Mozart Players.
She began her career as principal flute with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied with Douglas Whittaker and subsequently studied with William Bennet. Earlier in her career she won several awards and was the flute player with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s ensemble Fires of London, principal flute in Kent Opera and London Mozart Players and a member of the ensembles Capricorn and Albion.
Philippa’s current schedule includes many performances with her chamber groups, the Nash Ensemble and London Winds. She gave a highly successful performance of the Mozart D major Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. in the BBC Proms ‘88 season.
She was the soloist for the World Première (BBC Proms ‘99) of Havoc by Giles Swayne composed with her in mind as solo flute and commissioned by the BBC to mark the 75th season of the BBC singers with whom she has recorded several pieces for flute and voices. Philippa’s commitment to contemporary music has attracted commissions and dedications from leading composers: Sir Peter Maxwell Davies,Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Robert Saxton, Jonathan Harvey and Giles Swayne.
Her regular duo partnerships are with Jan Willem Nelleke (piano) and Maggie Cole (harpsichord). Over the years she has appeared regularly with Marisa Robles, Pascal Rogé, Barry Douglas, Yo Yo Ma, Stephen Kovacevich. Felicity Lott and Michael Collins,
Philippa’s numerous recordings include Mozart’s entire original concertos and quartets and Bach's Flute Sonatas with Maggie Cole. Her Romance of the Flute and Harp with Thelma Owen and Poulenc’s Flute Sonata (Hyperion) are extremely popular. She recorded Giles Swayne’s Winter Solstice Carol for the King’s College Choir. Her recording of all William Alwyn’s flute music including the flute concerto was released in 2005 (Dutton) and she recorded Paul Reade’s Flute Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra in 2022 (Signum)
Future solo performances include the Wigmore Hall, France, Spain and in the Netherlands with her duo partner Jan Willem Nelleke. She regularly plays guest principal flute with many of the main London orchestras: the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the English Chamber Orchestra and the BBC symphony Orchestra.
Philippa is a Professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Over the last 3 years she has taken part in Improvisation projects in Den Haag,Tallinn and Finland and is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator teaching the Art of Movement in Music.
Each summer she runs her own highly regarded International Flute Course in Burgundy, France