Louis Fleury (24 May 1878 – 10 June 1926) was a French flautist, a student and colleague of Paul Taffanel, a writer who advocated for the revival of Baroque music, and a musician who promoted contemporary composers by commissioning and performing their work.

Less well-known today than some of his fellow flute players, such as Philippe Gaubert and Marcel Moyse, perhaps because he died at a relatively young age, did not establish a teaching studio and left no known recordings, Fleury may be best remembered for his association with one of the most important works in the repertoire for solo flute, Syrinx by Claude Debussy.

In 1902 Fleury joined Barrère's chamber ensemble, Société moderne d'instruments à vent [fr] (SMIV), as second flute.

He provided obbligato accompaniment for Calvé's solos (as he had for Melba) and performed works by Handel and Mozart with other members of the touring company.

[9] In 1905 Fleury assumed leadership of the SMIV when Barrère left to take a position with the New York Symphony Orchestra.

The following year he founded the Société de Concerts d'autrefois, an ensemble dedicated to performing music of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments.

Claude Debussy had composed a piece for unaccompanied flute as incidental music for the third act of Gabriel Mourey's play, Psyché.

Another critic wrote:[12]Au troisième acte, pour évoquer la puissance rustique du dieu Pan, nous avons entendu un joli morceau de flûte qui est dû à Debussy.

(In the third act, to evoke the rustic power of the god Pan, we heard a pretty piece for flute by Debussy.

[10] Re-titled Syrinx, it was published in 1927, after Fleury's death, and became recognized as the seminal flute solo of the twentieth century.

After entering the army,[c] he became part of Fernand Halphen's first military orchestra (August 1914 – December 1915), which performed for the troops and for the local populace.

Halphen, who had also studied at the Paris Conservatory, added selections of classical music to the standard repertoire of marches, dances and patriotic songs, which gave Fleury opportunities for solos.

[24][25] A memorial concert was held on 6 November 1926 at Kent House, the London home of Mr. and Mrs. Saxton Noble, to benefit the education of Fleury's sixteen-year-old daughter, who was studying piano in Paris.