LouiseAcabo
continuo player
albumChambonnières0verseas
Alpha Classics • Released on 08.22.25
Alpha Classics proudly presents “Baroque Stories”, a new series of recordings devoted to young talents in early music; its first recording introduces Louise Acabo, a French harpsichordist and winner of several international competitions who divides her time between Paris and Basel. She has chosen to devote her debut recording to Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (ca1601-1672), composer of more than 150 harpsichord pieces and the first French musician of the 17th century to publish volumes of works for harpsichord. "Once you have heard the harpsichord played by the Sieur de Chambonnières, you need hear nothing else”, stated the Harmonie universelle of 1636. It was this unique relationship with sound that appealed to Louise Acabo: "his writing, eminently vocal, demands that the player transcend the mechanical aspect of the instrument and approach its strength and fragility with suppleness". Although Chambonnières never left France, his work crossed borders and influenced composers abroad, the English in particular. Louise Acabo has constructed her own list of works from available sources, alternating works by Chambonnières with compositions by Locke, Preston and Bryne.
about
Prizewinner at several international competitions,Louise divides her time between Paris and Basel, performingas a soloist on the harpsichord as well as on various instrumentsin a wide repertoire of ensemble music.
Prizewinner at several international competitions, Louise divides her time between Paris and Basel, performing as a soloist on the harpsichord as well as on various instruments in a wide repertoire of ensemble music.
Noticed by the Spanish newspaper El País as "the best surprise of the week and the latest gem in the inexhaustible French tradition of great harpsichordists" at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Louise is building her career as a soloist and continuo player in Paris.
Trained from the age of 7 in harpsichord with Aline Zylberajch at the Strasbourg Conservatory, Louise joined the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis at 18, first studying with Jörg-Andras Bötticher and then with Francesco Corti. That same year, she won the Corneille Competition in Rouen, before being recognized in other international competitions such as the Bach-Wettbewerb in Leipzig and La Capella Musicale in Milan. Holding two master’s degrees, Louise also earned a concertist diploma with Béatrice Martin in Paris. She is a laureate of the Royaumont Foundation, the Boubo-Music Foundation, and the Jeunes Talents association.
While intuition plays an important role in her musical approach, Louise also nurtures a keen interest in research and writing. This interest was confirmed through her thesis, The Body and Harpsichord Techniques in France in the 18th and 19th Centuries, which was awarded by the Walter & Corina Christen-Marchal Foundation.
Appreciated as a continuo player, Louise performs with orchestras, mainly with Le Concert de la Loge, but also with Masques, Jupiter, Pygmalion, La Chapelle harmonique, and Il Caravaggio. She also plays in smaller ensembles, notably with The Banshies, which she co-founded in 2022.
As a soloist, Louise is regularly invited to perform at festivals such as the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Bel-Air Claviers, Midsummer Festival, Interfinity, and Cembalo in der Stadt Basel. Since 2025, she has been a resident soloist at the Singer-Polignac Foundation, as well as with her ensemble The Banshies.
Although the harpsichord remains her first and main instrument, she also explores other repertoires, notably through the organ and the fortepiano.
events
- 3:00pm
Festival d’Ambronay
Ambronay (FR)The Banshies – “47°Nord”
+ info+ info - -
10.03.2547°Nord
Paris (FR)Recording with The Banshies
- 8:30pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Neuilly-sur-Seine (FR) • Théâtre des SablonsWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Reims (FR) • Opéra de ReimsWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 3:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Reims (FR) • Opéra de ReimsWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info Recital
Bâle (CH)Scarlatti, WF Bach, Ligeti
Pianofort’ino
Bâle (CH)Recital Chambonnières Overseas
Pianofort’ino
Bâle (CH)“Contre-courant” – Duo concert with Yaoré Talibart: Mozart, CPE Bach, WF Bach
- 8:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Gütersloh (DE) • Theater GüterslohWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 4:00pm
La Semaine Classique du Lavoir
Paris (FR) • Lavoir Moderne ParisienThe Banshies – “Let thy Charms”
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Brandenburg Concertos
Bergamo (IT) • Teatro SocialeWith the Locatelli Ensemble
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Caen (FR) • Théâtre de CaenWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Caen (FR) • Théâtre de CaenWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Quatre Saisons dansées
Caen (FR) • Théâtre de CaenWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Bach / Vivaldi
Paris (FR) • La Seine MusicaleConcertos for 2, 3 and 4 Harpsichords – With Justin Taylor, Béatrice Martin, Olivier Baumont, Le Consort
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Vivaldi / Haydn
Soissons (FR) • Cité de la musique et de la danseWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
The Enchanted Forest
Avignon (FR) • Opéra d’AvignonJulie Roset & Adèle Charvet, Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
The Enchanted Forest
Rouen (FR) • Chapelle CorneilleJulie Roset & Adèle Charvet, Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info - 8:00pm
Les Citations
Paris (FR) • Philharmonie de ParisJean Rondeau & Orchestre de chambre de Paris
+ info+ info Quatre Saisons dansées
Megève (FR) • Festival de MegèveWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info47°Nord
Paris (FR) • Fondation Singer-PolignacWith The Banshies
Deauville Festival
Deauville (FR)With Julien Chauvin
- 8:30pm
Bach / Pergolesi
Fontainebleau (FR) • Théâtre municipalIl Caravaggio - Camille Delaforge
+ info+ info Quatre Saisons dansées
Rome (IT) • Accademia Nazionale di Santa CeciliaWith Le Concert de la Loge
+ info+ info47°Nord
Bruges (BE) • MA FestivalWith The Banshies
47°Nord
Vicq-sur-Gartempe (FR) • Festival Les Chaises musicalesWith The Banshies
listen
Projects& ensembles
Thesis & Research
The BODY & HARPSICHORD TECHNIQUES IN 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY FRANCE.
Read the thesis →
Perspectives on the body and playing techniques through historical harpsichord methods, master's thesis at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, 2022.The Banshies
In Irish mythology, the Banshee is a messenger from another world. The four musicians of The Banshies felt the need to form their own ensemble in order to create a safe space for them to experiment freely. The ensemble, consisting of two violins, a cello, and a keyboard, explores the repertoire of the trio sonata, but also other instrumental formations, and sometimes vocal.
Visit the website →
contact
For any inquiry, please contact Louise directly via email:
louiseacabo@gmail.com