“one that will be studied and admired by saxophonists everywhere, yet deserves a still wider audience…remarkably good and thought provoking.”
FANFARE Magazine
“McAllister’s beautiful high register rivaled that of a coloratura vocalist…”
Review of PRISM Quartet
The New York City Jazz Record
“Soloist Timothy McAllister proved brilliantly up to the enormous demands — vast spreads of pitches, disjunct lines that wanted to be as lyrical as possible and some dazzling scurries.”
Scott Cantrell
The Dallas Morning News (4/25/12)
“[Glint] is a varied anthology of contemporary pieces…tangy, oxygen rich and kaleidoscopic.”
Rob Barnett
MusicWeb-International (UK)
[Review: “LA Phil Brings ‘New World’ to Seoul”]
“Resplendent saxophone solos thrilled audiences throughout…”
Kwon Ji-youn
The Korea Times (3/27/15)
“The [Cabrillo Festival Opening] concert’s highlight concluded its first half: Jennifer Higdon’s Soprano Sax Concerto…and it was superbly realized by soloist Timothy McAllister…This work is a significant testament to beauty.”
Jeff Dunn
San Francisco Classical Voice
“McAllister precisely conveyed the mood of every stylistic alley into which Bolcom peered. His saxophone delivered dialogue, as well as notes, as he brought his own experiences to Bolcom’s hodgepodge of a musical canvas…the arrangement of John Williams’ Catch Me If You Can score gives plenty of opportunity to display his technical wizardry and dynamic control.”
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs
Critic, Theater Jones: Arts News in North Texas
“Timothy McAllister is one of the best soprano players I have ever heard. The way he performs my Garden of Love, with such ease, even in the high registers, is simply stunning: a breathtaking polished tone, combined with brilliant singing vibrato, and this typical American swing, what more could a composer want…Chapeau!”
Jacob ter Veldhuis
Celebrated Dutch Avant-Pop composer
“Higdon’s Soprano Sax Concerto began and ended in a pastoral mood (a la Copland’s Clarinet Concerto) and featured smooth, sweet and virtuosic playing by Timothy McAllister.”
Scott MacClelland
Metro Santa Cruz
“…McAllister’s flexibility of sound, judicious use of vibrato, ease of altissimo, and tonal techniques make it possible to listen without distraction.”
Debra McKim
The Saxophone Symposium
“Timothy McAllister is both an agile soloist, easily surmounting any technical hurdles, and an expressive, communicative musician able to plumb the depths or scale the heights of these contemporary composers’ inspirations. His fellow musicians are equally accomplished; these renditions are finely honed collaborations between talented peers.”
R. Schulslaper
FANFARE Magazine
“Dudamel led a bracing, propulsive performance with instrumental lines clear even in Adams’ most riotous contrapuntal moments. The L.A. Phil members covered themselves in glory with outstanding contributions…especially, Timothy McAllister’s evocative and bravura alto sax playing.”
Lawrence A. Johnson
The Classical Review
“City Noir is about process, not stasis…there was a prominent part for saxophone (played by the steady Timothy McAllister)…”
Arthur Kaptainis
National Post (Toronto)
“Knockout performances by this high-energy ensemble…in this high-end audiophile recording supervised by many of the composers.”
Imagination 97
Imagination ‘97
“(John) Adams goes for more than stylizations with [City Noir’s] wily jazz spine. Keeping a sweaty, smoky after-hours jam percolating were Timothy McAllister’s volcanic sax…”
Lewis Whittington
American Record Guide (Sept/Oct 2010)
“The LA Philharmonic played beautifully throughout the performance (indeed, through the entire evening), with notable solo work from Timothy McAllister on saxophone…”
Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic, Pasadena Star-News
[Review: ” CSO end year literally with a bang”] “The Prokofiev benefitted from distinguished solo playing by Chris Martin on cornet, Michael Henoch on oboe and uncredited guest players Lorna McGhee on flute and the great Timothy McAllister on tenor saxophone.”
John Von Rhein
Chicago Tribute (12/19/14)
“McAllister was phenomenal, giving a dazzling performance that rocked the audience to its feet for a prolonged and well-deserved ovation”
Sarah Bryan Miller
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Oct 2013)
“a mature, polished performer…whose dynamic and color contrasts enhance his ability to communicate - Bravo!”
Leone Buyse
Former Associate Principal Flute, Boston Symphony Orchestra
“[City Noir’s] second movement, “The Song Is for You,” is softer and, on the surface, sweeter than the first, and jazzy. I heard hints of Gershwin in the horns after a flamboyant saxophone solo played by Timothy McAllister.”
I’m very excited to announce upcoming recording projects with three of the world’s top orchestras to be released during 2017/2018 year!
City Noir - John Adams (recording June 2017)
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Berlin Philharmonic 4-CD Box Set and DVD anthology of the music of John Adams
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings
Rush (Saxophone Concerto) - Kenneth Fuchs (recording August 2017)
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
London Symphony Orchestra
NAXOS Records
Saxophone Concerto “A Kind of Trane” - Guillaume Connesson (recording March 2018)
Stephane Deneve, conductor
Brussels Philharmonic
Deutsche Grammophon
I hope you will be able to check these out! More info to come as release dates are finalized. Stay tuned!
What an honor to be part of this Nonesuch album that took home the 2015 GRAMMY Award for Best Orchestral Performance! An amazing tribute to the musicians and staff at the St. Louis Symphony who helped make it all happen. I am thrilled to reprise the Saxophone Concerto in January 2016 with the orchestra in St. Louis and on a week-long, Grammy celebration California Tour! Stay posted for more information!
I was thrilled when I learned the album, “John Adams: City Noir,” with the St. Louis Symphony and David Robertson received two Grammy nominations for “Best Orchestral Performance” and “Best Engineered Album.” The album has also been featured on several year-end lists for top recordings of 2014, including the Detroit Free Press, San Jose Mercury News, Rhapsody and National Public Radio, as well as by independent critic’s lists nationwide. It is incredible to see such attention for an album largely featuring the saxophone and new music, and I am so honored to have been a part of it.
September has been quite a life-changing month so far. I settled into my life in Ann Arbor, performed in a dream collaboration perhaps on the classical world’s biggest stage in Royal Albert Hall, and helped organize an emotional and inspiring tribute recital honoring the career and life of my predecessor and mentor at the University of Michigan, Donald Sinta. However, this week something struck me equally as deeply in my experience with the Utah Wind Symphony on September 23 in Salt Lake City. Only four years old, this group of professional freelancers and educators gave a rousing performance of John Mackey’s Soprano Sax Concerto with me to an audience of nearly 1100 people as part of a ‘send-off’ preview concert for the upcoming Midwest Clinic in Chicago (Dec. 20).
What struck me wasn’t simply the commitment to the level of playing, but the sheer dedication to the cause of wind band music and the deep sense of community. Led by Scott Hagen, director of bands at the University of Utah, and his wife and clarinetist, Myroslava Hagen, this group in four years has managed to achieve a level and following that rivals our nation’s military bands and other successful civic models such as the Dallas Wind Symphony, Northshore Concert Band, Lone Star Wind Orchestra, among many others. Yet, under this veneer, I learned that recently the group lost its primary financial support which now threatens the existence of the ensemble. Such disheartening news for such an amazing group of people and musicians. Amidst all the financial struggles we see with today’s major orchestras, news like this can be even more hurtful since a group like UWS comes together for the love of playing and the celebration of a very under appreciated literature, concert band music.
Band music isn’t simply trivial or purely pedagogical. It is a viable, ever-growing field of which many of today’s greatest composers have explored. More importantly, it often serves as the cultural center of most grade schools and college campuses. When we witness the rise of such an ensemble like the UWS, it helps a musician/teacher like myself remember WHY we got into music in the first place. The music. The camaraderie. The mission. These are not musicians looking for a hefty paycheck, accolades in the city’s major newspaper, or to rival the local symphony orchestra or opera company. They are performing together because they believe in the medium and the spirit of collaboration.
A vibrant community like Salt Lake deserves a successful ensemble like this to flourish for many years to come. They are not alone, as most cities/towns have some form of a community band, either amateur or professional. Get out to support these groups and their mission. It is the extension of a great American genre that never retreated after it’s rise in the late Nineteenth century.
Godspeed to the Utah Wind Symphony, and see you in the Windy City!
Welcome to my new website! New to the site are downloads for presenters, a news blog, and a press page entirely devoted to the John Adams Saxophone Concerto. I hope you will enjoy the functionality of the site and many of the new pics from the photography studio of RRJONES. Look for more updates in the days ahead as final tweaks are made, but in the meantime, take a listen to the clips, note any upcoming performances in your area, and add your name to my mailing list for updates and news. I am very grateful to Joe Dakroub for his design and assistance!
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