He has garnered international acclaim as the founder and artistic director of the award-winning Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year: Lionel Meunier. He initially studied trumpet and recorder in his hometown of Clamecy and graduated with distinction at the IMEP in Namur before turning to singing at the conservatory in The Hague. He was a member of renowned vocal ensembles such as the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir before founding Vox Luminis in 2004. His international breakthrough came in 2012 with the recording of Heinrich Schütz’s »Musicalische Exequien«. This recording was named »Gramophone Recording of the Year«, leading to numerous concert tours throughout Europe, North America and Asia for Lionel Meunier and his ensemble, as well as several years of residencies at Wigmore Hall, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Utrecht Early Music Festival and currently at the Concertgebouw in Bruges. More than a dozen highly successful albums followed, including the recording of Dieterich Buxtehude’s »Abendmusiken« with the Ensemble Masques and Oliver Fortin, which won a second Gramophone Award in 2019. With his meticulous but at the same time lively approach to interpretation, Lionel Meunier is now in demand worldwide as a guest conductor and artistic director of choirs, ensembles and orchestras. With Vox Luminis, he regularly performs together with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. This close collaboration resulted in their first joint recording in 2021 with works by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber and other composers. The 2024/2025 season saw Lionel Meunier make his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, as well as a return to the Juilliard School with a Handel programme and extensive tours of Europe and North America with Vox Luminis and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.  Passionate about music education, Lionel Meunier regularly gives masterclasses and coaching sessions with his ensemble. This year, he will lead the week-long Musikfest Bremen Atelier »Wege zu Bach« for the third time.