After studying mathematics, Françoise Lasserre went on to study music: analysis, composition, orchestral conducting (Pierre Dervaux’s classes). as well as the transverse flute. By chance she had to belong to the small group of singers selected by Philippe Herreweghe, to create the Chapelle Royale ensemble. These meetings were to transform her trajectory, leading her to focus her musical activity on ancient music. In 1986, Françoise Lasserre created Akadêmia. She performs numerous concerts in France as well as abroad with this ensemble that brings together singers and instrumentalists. She has brought out 15 CDs from a repertoire ranging from Palestrina to Bach, with a predilection for Monteverdi and Schütz. In terms of aesthetics, she concentrates on authenticity through her choice of instruments and the number and types of voices. Her work has received many awards: 1st prize in the Palestrina competition in 1994, several ffff awards from the magazine Telerama, Diapasons d’Or awards. Image Credit: Olivier Hoffschir