Canadian-American conductor Jean-Sébastien Vallée is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and its professional chamber ensemble, the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers. He is also Director of Choruses of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Full Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.

Vallée’s career spans the orchestral and choral worlds. Known for the breadth of his musicianship and dynamic artistic leadership, he brings to the podium a distinctive combination of symphonic perspective, vocal expertise, and a deep understanding of the relationship between music, text, and dramatic expression.

Vallée has collaborated with many of North America’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. In the 2026–27 season, Vallée will lead three programs with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and make his conducting debuts with the Seattle Symphony and Pacific Symphony.

An active recording artist, Vallée records for ATMA Classique, and his performances have been broadcast internationally. His discography includes Remember (2024), Distance (2021), Requiem – Fauré & Duruflé (2018), and Lux (2017). His newest recording, Lo, How a Rose, with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, is scheduled for release in fall 2026.

Alongside his performing career, Vallée is an influential educator and mentor to a new generation of conductors. At McGill University, he leads one of Canada’s foremost university choral and conducting programs, with former students holding professional and academic appointments in Canada and abroad. A sought-after clinician and pedagogue, he has led masterclasses, workshops, and residencies throughout North America, Europe, and Asia and serves on the Board of Directors of Chorus America.

Vallée’s contributions to music have been recognized with major honours, including Université Laval’s Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Order of Choral Merit from the Alliance chorale du Québec.