Jean-Sébastien Vallée is an internationally recognized Canadian-American conductor, scholar, and pedagogue, acclaimed for his expertise in vocal, choral, and orchestral repertoires. Over the course of his career, he has led ensembles across North America, Europe, and Asia, and has collaborated with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

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Dr. Vallée is Full Professor of Music Performance, Director of Choral Studies, and Coordinator of the Ensembles & Conducting Area at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. He also serves as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and its professional chamber ensemble, the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers. Prior to his appointment at McGill, he directed choral studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and taught on the choral faculty of the University of Redlands. He holds degrees from Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

 

Maestro ​Vallée is deeply committed to contemporary music, actively commissioning and premiering new works while championing rarely performed repertoire. His research interests range from Renaissance French music and the oratorios of Michael Tippett to conducting pedagogy, with a particular focus on the relationship between audiation and gestural communication. He has shared his scholarship at major national and international conferences, including the American Choral Directors Association conventions, Festival 500 in Newfoundland, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, Podium (Choral Canada’s national conference), the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and the World Symposium on Choral Music.

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His discography includes several critically acclaimed recordings on the ATMA Classique label: Lux (2017), Requiem (2018 – Fauré and Duruflé), Distance (2021), and Remember (2024). Broadcast internationally, these projects reflect his dedication to both historical and contemporary repertoire.

 

Recent and upcoming engagements include performances at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, a tour with the National Youth Choir of Canada, and performances with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

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In recognition of his artistic leadership and contributions to the field, Dr. Vallée received the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Prize from Université Laval, awarded to alumni who exemplify innovation, creativity, talent, and exceptional leadership in their professional achievements.