Since its inception in 2004, the early music ensemble Vox Luminis, under the direction of bass singer Lionel Meunier, has been internationally renowned for its distinctive timbre, both in its intimate productions with soloists and in its largest and most ambitious projects.
Vox Luminis specializes in English, Italian and German music from the 16th to the early 18th centuries. Through approximately 70 concerts per year and numerous recordings, the ensemble aims to bring musical masterpieces to life and introduce previously undiscovered gems to the wider public. To this end, Vox Luminis harnesses its unique DNA, composed of soloists accompanied by a continuo and instrumentalists, and sometimes expanded with its very own orchestra and up to 40 different singing voices (Vox Luminis XL).
The group’s mission is to bring vocal music to a wider audience, driven by excellence. The concerts, recordings, the workshops with audiences from different countries, all contribute to achieving this objective.
The ensemble has won a Gramophone Award on two occasions: in 2012, for Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien (Baroque Vocal and Gramophone album of the Year), and in 2019 for Buxtehude’s Abendmusiken (Choral). Vox Luminis has also been awarded the Belgian Klara award for “Ensemble of the Year 2018”, the BBC Music Magazine award “Choral Award Winner 2018”, three Diapasons d’Or, and, on multiple occasions, the Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik.
The ensemble has conquered the world’s greatest concert halls, including Bozar and Flagey in Brussels, deSingel in Antwerp, the Auditorio Nacional and the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Auditori and the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Salle Gaveau and the Auditorium de Radio France in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonies of Berlin and Cologne, the Laeiszhalle and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, Lincoln Center in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, and Zaryadye Hall in Moscow. It has also performed at prestigious festivals such as the Festival van Vlaanderen, Festivals de Wallonie, Festival de Saintes, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musikfest Bremen, Bachfest Leipzig, Klangvokal Dortmund, Salzburger Festspiele, Aldeburgh Festival, and the Boston Early Music Festival.
Vox Luminis celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. To mark the occasion, it released an anniversary CD box via Ricercar. Vox Luminis also collaborated with American composer Caroline Shaw, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music and multiple Grammys, to create a world première for the Thüringer Bachwochen.
In the past few years, Vox Luminis has built a solid, lasting partnership with the prestigious Freiburger Barokorchester and the Freiburger BarockConsort, working together on multiple projects per year.
The ensemble is resident in the Concertgebouw Brugge and the Abbaye Musicale de Malonne (Namur).
Vox Luminis counts on the precious support of the French Community of Belgium and Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI).
