Chris Comhaill

Chris Comhaill AKA Front Row Seats is the pseudonym of musician, producer and songwriter Christopher Cole. Described as an "exciting, fresh endeavour to create something new; a blend of jazz, folk, world and contemporary" (The Irish Times) and “a transcendent mix of composition and improvisation” (Jazz Ireland), Chris aims to create compelling and engaging music across an eclectic array of genres.

As a solo artist and guitarist Chris has performed across his native Ireland and internationally. Chris has been invited to perform his Dúchas project at the Florence Academy of Art, the Irish Embassy in Tanzania and the Irish Cultural Centre London, as well as having sold out shows in prestigious venues such as St. Patricks Cathedral, the National Concert Hall of Ireland and the Whale Theatre in his hometown of Dublin. He has performed for crowds at Irish festivals such as Electric Picnic and Body & Soul and has had the honour of playing for An Uachtarán, the President of Ireland. He has played support for and shared the stage with acts such as The Script, George Ezra, Kurt Elling, Celine Byrne, Paul Byrom, KÍLA and Mundy. Chris studied music at UCD, BIMM and DCU and holds an Honours Degree and Masters Degree, as well as a performance Diploma (achieved with distinction) in Guitar Performance.

Chris is involved with Irish musical heritage and culture and regularly performs his Dúchas project; a repertoire of traditional Celtic music arranged for solo guitar. He is co-director of the Celtic music group Celtic Calling. As a producer he releases music under the moniker Front Row Seats exploring his love of jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop. He is the director of the world music group w-IRE ME with singer Filipa Quintino, he is one half of the Between Two Moons project with oud player Yusef Hourani, a composer for film and an in-demand session musician. Chris is proud to be a Dun Laoghaire Rathdown 'Emerging Artist' for 2022. His work has also been kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Music Network Ireland.