BSO taps Jean-Sébastien Vallée to conduct Tanglewood Festival Chorus

The Boston Symphony orchestra has appointed a new director of choruses and conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Canadian-American conductor Jean-Sébastien Vallée may be familiar to some audience members. He made guest appearances at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood during the 2025-26 season, including for performances of Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 that closed out the orchestra's season in Lenox. Vallée said he's deeply honored to join the historic chorus. 'My experiences making music with the BSO and TFC have already shown me what is possible when exceptional musicians come together with curiosity, generosity, and a shared sense of purpose,' he wrote in a statement. He looks forward to a future that includes a deeper connection between the orchestra, the chorus members and the community. 'I am especially excited about the opportunities for education and civic engagement, and for the TFC and BSO to help foster the development of singers, conductors, and the choral art for generations to come,' he said. Vallée is only the third maestro to lead the all-volunteer ensemble, which was created by the BSO and Boston University in 1970. Founding music director John Oliver held on to the baton for 45 years before stepping down in 2015. His successor, James Burton, was hired in 2017 and departed last year. At the time the BSO did not elaborate on his exit. Throughout his career Vallée has worked with orchestras in cities including Chicago, Toronto and Montreal. He has also led choruses through in-studio recordings and has a new album with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir coming out this fall. Vallée is the group's artistic director/principal conductor and will continue that leadership position as he works with the BSO. In addition, Vallée heads the choral and conducting programs at McGill University where he's a teacher and mentor. During his inaugural season in Boston, Vallée will conduct the choral members at the world premiere of composer Osvaldo Golijov's 'Creation' as well as Haydn's 'The Creation' – both in November. He will take the stage with outgoing BSO music director Andris Nelsons in January for the concert version of Tchaikovsky's opera 'The Queen of Spades.' According to the announcement, Vallée will also lead the Tanglewood Festival Chorus through Mahler's Symphony No. 3 at Nelsons' final Symphony Hall performance as the BSO's maestro in April.