The "Compagnie du Jardin Féérique" (the Fairy Garden Company) is a project conceived in 2021 by pianist Louise Akili, with a title that evokes nature and the final piece of Ma Mère l’Oye by Maurice Ravel. Its mission is to create, share, and inspire both young and old people through artistic projects where the arts intertwine.
In this spirit, Louise and I developed a duo performance incorporating dance and stage movements, which premiered in Paris in 2023. A second project followed, centered around Maurice Ravel's works for violin and piano, juxtaposed with those of female composers from the same period, Joséphine Boulay and Marcelle Soulage. The album "Étincelles", the first recording of works by these two composers, will be released in 2025 under the Passavant label.
In the same spirit, a trio with cellist Laura Martin was formed during a tour in Finland in the fall of 2021, featuring works by Lili Boulanger and Mel Bonis. In 2023, the program expanded to highlight the connections between Paris and Helsinki, including a trio by composer Laura Netzel (1839–1927) and a commissioned work by Tara Valkonen (*1999), which premiered in Paris on June 24, 2023, and will be performed again during a tour in Finland in May 2024 (Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu, Kemi, Vaasa, Sodankylä).
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The Quartet, with violist Antonin Le Faure, is the most recent project of the Fairy Garden, extending its repertoire to include piano quartets by Gabriel Fauré and Mel Bonis.
Discography
Etincelles
(to be released 2025)
CD - Passavant
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works by Maurice Ravel, Marcelle Soulage (recording premiere) & Joséphine Boulay (recording premiere)
Louise Akili, piano
A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMD) and holder of the French teaching certification (CA), Louise teaches at the Chopin Conservatory in Paris. Her debut solo album, dedicated to composers Roland Manuel and Maurice Ravel, was released in 2020 under the Passavant label. Her second album, "Nous Deux", released in 2024, is devoted to the chamber music of Brazilian composer Remilson Nery.
Louise is a laureate of the Royaumont Foundation, the Ravel Academy, the Cité des Arts, and the International Nadia and Lili Boulanger Center. A passionate chamber musician and also a dancer, she studied Benesh Notation at the CNSMDP. She performs at numerous festivals in France and abroad, notably in Japan and Finland. She has shared the stage with Isabelle Georges and Agnès Jaoui. In 2025, she will release the album "Faits pour s’entendre", a classical and jazz duo project with her fiancé, jazz musician Dexter Goldberg.
