I know Jean-Sébastien Vallée as the artistic director of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, which sometimes means he’s preparing the TMC for their work with another conductor, sometimes he’s the one leading the big ensemble, as he did for the Brahms German Requiem last November and will again for the Bach St Matthew Passion in about three weeks time.

Today’s Singsation workshop at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church gave me and a couple of hundred others a different perspective on JS Bach and JS Vallée. I already respected him for his work as an excellent choral conductor & interpreter. Today we all got a closer look.

This is from the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir website:

“Join Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée for a Singsation workshop. It’s a community singing workshop, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning – with people who love to sing!
The Theme: Bach’s Passions: Drama, Devotion, and Music

Experience an inspiring Singsation with our own Artistic Director, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, as we explore Bach’s extraordinary settings of the Passion story — from St. John and St. Matthew Passions to the intriguing reconstructions of the lost St. Mark Passion. Together, we’ll compare these masterpieces, uncovering how Bach wove drama, devotion, and musical brilliance into each work. Experience the emotional depth, rich choral textures, and timeless beauty that have captivated audiences for centuries — and enjoy the thrill of singing this unforgettable music in community. Discover the enduring power of Bach’s Passions and leave with a deeper connection to some of the most moving works ever written.”

We heard a remarkable presentation today, accompanied by Dr. Irene Gregorio on the piano. Watching JS today I have a better perspective on his work with the TMC and we learned a lot about the Passions of that other JS, meaning the baroque composer.

I was impressed at how quickly JS works. We looked at the two well-known passions (St Matthew & St John) plus the third reverse-engineered one, created by taking the known texts of the Passion according to St Mark, with Bach compositions fitted to it.

We were all given scores. Afterwards we returned the two published ones but were permitted to keep the third that’s xeroxed.

I’m still high from the experience, singing the tenor part of the excerpts we did over the two hours plus we were gathered together at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. The workshop went far beyond mere marketing. Yes ocourse this is a smart way to promote the upcoming concert. But JS Vallée has a genuine interest in his namesake, and a great deal of insight to offer.

I was tempted to photograph every slide in the presentation, that included a great deal of historical insight, that helps one listen to the Passions. There’s also the passion of JS Vallée, his commitment to sharing with those of us at the workshop, evident in these photos. Each of these slides led to lots of detailed explanation. I was impressed by his energy, seemingly as driven at the end as at the beginning.

I noticed, too, that the Toronto Symphony have programmed Mahler’s 8th Symphony for June of 2027. I can’t be the only person thinking it might be fun to join the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir to be able to sing that. I wonder if that thrilling work will help their recruitment.

But first: I’m looking forward to seeing JS Vallée lead the St Matthew Passion later this month.