Louise Cournarie began the piano at the age of 3 and started her musical studies at the Toulouse conservatoire in France where she was the pupil of Francis Arrouy in piano. From an early age she developped a deep interest in baroque music and discovered the harpsichord with Yasuko Bouvard. Her first experience on stage was as a soloist in children’s operas with the Orchestre National du Capitole of Toulouse, playing the role of the cat in Brundibar by Hans Kraza, along with many others. A few years later her meeting with the French pianist Racha Arodaky, a former student of Dominique Merlet and Murray Perahia, changed her life and her approach of the music. Following her recommendation, she decided to go to Paris to study with her, supplemented by harmony classes with Isabelle Duha. After completing her baccalaureate at 17, she obtained a piano prize with honors from the conservatoire.She was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama of London, in the class of the professor and renowned pianist Charles Owen. With his guidance she successed at The International Competition of Ile de France in 2012 with a 2nd prize. She studied the fortepiano with Maggie Cole as well as the continuo and conducting. In the same time, she also became a pupil of Katya Apekisheva. In 2011 she worked as the assistant director for Racha Arodaky’s recording of Bach’s Partitas.Graduated with honors from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she was awarded the Kathleen Bayfield Award to study at The Royal Academy of Music for a Master of Arts. She is currently the student of Ian Fountain and Carole Cerasi (harpsichord, fortepiano). Her project to focus her profile around the baroque music and classical style from Purcell, Haendel, Rameau and Bach to Mozart received endorsement and support from Fondation d’entreprise SAFRAN pour la musique (France). Her interpretation of Bach’s 6th partita allowed her to win the Harold Samuel Bach Prize (2015) and to be selected to perform a solo recital at the Wigmore hall in London. In 2015, she is also supported by the swiss Fondation Clavarte. Louise is regularly performing throughout the UK and in France, appearing in numerous festivals (Edinburgh, North London Festival, Château de Pionsat, Lagrasse, Solliès-Pont). She has had the privilege of working with many performers of international standing, such as Pascal Devoyon, Emile Naoumoff, Peter Donohoe, Paul Roberts, Emanuel Krasowsky, Joanna MacGregor, Yevgeni Subdin, Christopher Elton or Imogen Cooper. In 2016 she has been offered a place in the PhD program at the Royal Academy of Music for september where she will complete a project on the interpretation of British and French baroque keyboard music on modern piano.
