Early Music Ensemble from Belgium
Cantatas of J. S. Bach
Lionel Meunier, artistic director

{Ticket prices: $30 General | $25 Senior 60+ | $5 Student}

Since its foundation in 2004, the vocal ensemble Vox Luminis–led by bass Lionel Meunier –has been internationally praised for its unique sound, both with a cast of soloists and in larger productions. Vox Luminis specializes in English, Italian and German repertoire from the 17th and early 18th centuries, bringing to life not only well-known masterpieces, but also rare gems. A core of vocal soloists is supplemented, depending on the repertoire, with an extensive continuo, solo instruments or a complete orchestra. In 2012, Vox Luminis won the Recording of the Year at the prestigious Gramophone Awards. Since then, the group has made multiple recordings with Ricercar, Alpha Classics, Ramée and Musique in Wallonie, and has won numerous international prizes including ‘Klara Ensemble of the Year 2018’, BBC Music Magazine ‘Choral Award Winner 2018’, 3 ‘Diapasons d’Or’ and several ‘Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik’. In 2019 the ensemble received another Gramophone Music Award in the ‘Choral’ category for its recording of Buxtehude: Abendmusiken. Every year Vox Luminis gives around 70 concerts at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including Bozar Brussels, deSingel Antwerp, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, L’Auditori Barcelona, Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Lincoln Center New York, Zaryadye Hall Moscow, Festival of Flanders and Festival de Wallonie, Festival de Saintes, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musikfest Bremen, Bachfest Leipzig, Aldeburgh Festival and Boston Early Music Festival. Vox Luminis is artist in residence at Concertgebouw Brugge. Recently, the ensemble launched a structural collaboration with the renowned Freiburger Barockorchester.

Lionel Meunier: Internationally renowned as the founder and artistic director of the awardwinning Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, French conductor and bass Lionel Meunier is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic and highly acclaimed artistic leaders in the fields of historical performance and choral music active today. Praised for his detailed yet spirited interpretative approach, he is now increasingly in demand as a guest conductor and artistic director with choirs, ensembles, and orchestras worldwide. Lionel’s international breakthrough came in 2012 with Vox Luminis’ Gramophone Recording of Year award for their recording of Heinrich Schütz’ Musicalische Exequien. Under his leadership, Vox Luminis has since embarked on extensive concert tours throughout Europe, North America, and Asia; established multiseason artistic residencies at Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, and Concertgebouw Bruges; and recorded over a dozen critically acclaimed albums. Their recording of Buxtehude won them their second Gramophone Award, for 2019 Choral Recording of the Year. As a guest conductor, Lionel has worked with Netherlands Bach Society, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, and the Boston Early Music Festival Collegium and has led projects with Vox Luminis in collaboration with Juilliard 415, Orchestra B’Rock, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and L’Achéron, among many others. Lionel maintains a close relationship with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Consort, returning regularly to lead collaborative projects with Vox Luminis that cover a wide repertoire. Their first recording together will appear in 2021. Future projects include his debut with the Shanghai Symphony and returns to the Boston Early Music Festival and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Consort. Born in France, Lionel was trained as a singer and recorder player and began his career as a bass in renowned ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Ghent, 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, where he lives with his family.

Accolades:

“The refinement of Vox Luminis is never anything less
than sublime.”
Gramophone

“Vox Luminis’s main strength lies in the capability of all its members
to step forward as soloists.”
Opera Magazine

“The superbly sensitive continuo group were also a huge contributory factor
in the success of the concert.“
Early Music Review