Internationally renowned as the founder and artistic director of the Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, the French conductor and bass Lionel Meunier is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic and highly acclaimed artistic leaders active today in the field of historical performance and is one of the world’s most sought-after guest conductors and artistic directors with choirs, ensembles and orchestras.
Lionel Meunier’s international breakthrough came in 2012 when Vox Luminis won Gramophone’s Recording of the Year Award for their recording of Heinrich Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien. Under his leadership, the ensemble has since undertaken extensive concert tours throughout Europe, North America and Asia, established multi-season artistic residencies at the Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht and Concertgebouw Bruges, and recorded more than a dozen albums. Their recording Buxtehude: Abendmusiken won them their second Gramophone Classical Music Award.
As a guest conductor, Lionel Meunier has worked with the Netherlands Bach Society, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Salzburg Bach Choir and the Boston Early Music Festival among others, and has led projects with Vox Luminis in collaboration with ensembles including B’Rock Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and L’Achéron. He maintains a close relationship with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Baroque Consort, returning regularly to lead collaborative projects with Vox Luminis.
Highlights with Vox Luminis in 2025/26 have included performances at the Salle Gaveau and the Forum Alte Musik Köln. They appeared with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra at the Magdeburg Telemann Festival and the International Bach Festival Stuttgart, and with the B’Rock Orchestra at Bozar in Brussels and at the Cologne Philharmonie. They have also revisited works by Biber with the Baroque Consort and this summer return to the Salzburg Festival to perform Bach’s Mass in B minor and Liszt‘s Via crucis.
Born in France, Lionel Meunier trained as a singer and recorder player and began his career as a bass in renowned ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent, the Amsterdam Baroque Choir and Capella Pratensis. In 2013, he was awarded the title of Namurois de l’Année (Namur Citizen of the Year) for culture in the Belgian town of Namur.
