Lionel van Zyl, senior lecturer in voice at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Music School in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) has  been the musical director of the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir since 1986. The ECCC celebrates his 25th year as our conductor in 2011.

He has a special interest in the repertoire of original choral music for the child’s voice, and continuously strives towards excellence in choral singing.

As conductor of the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir and previous conductor of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir, his extensive international concert tours took him to almost all the continents. 

In 2000, he was nominated for the Mayor’s Citizen of the Year Award in the category Youth Work and Music. He also received a special award from the ATKV (Afrikaans language and culture society) for his engagement  in the performing arts in Port Elizabeth.

In 2007 he was awarded an Achiever’s Award by the Eastern Cape’s Department of Arts and Culture for his work with the Eastern Cape Children’s Choir.

Lionel was invited to conduct the Würzburg Cathedral Choirs in a special television broadcast in 2009 and also gave a lecture on the South African Art Song  at the Robert Schumann Hochschule für Musik in Düsseldorf..

In 2011 he was a finalist in the EP Herald General Motors Citizen of the Year Award in the category Sports, Arts and Culture.

Lionel van Zyl holds a M.Mus in choral conducting.