“a titan of contemporary music and the instrument in general”
Zachary Lewis
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland (10/7/14)
“John Adams said he wouldn’t wish [that alto saxophone solo] on anyone, but Timothy McAllister dispatching it with wonderful grace on this world premiere evening.”
Fred Child
Commentary from American Public Media/Performance Today’s coverage of Gustavo Dudamel’s Inaugural Concert with the LA Phil
“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)
“McAllister shone in the virtuosic concerto, navigating the perilous runs and figures with ease while keeping a high level of technical proficiency. His musicality was the high point of the performance, especially in the opening movement where Dahl eschewed a steady beat and rhythm, leaving the soloist to push forward the musical line. The final movement was a whirlwind of fingers, but each note and phrase was perfectly placed.”
John Norine, Jr.
Theater Jones: Arts News in North Texas
“…the music is dramatic and colorful, requiring all sorts of novel saxophone sounds…high level of musicality in the playing…the musicianship of Duo Nuova is impeccable. McAllister’s tone is creamy, and his fingering and tonguing are impressive.”
Stephen Max
American Record Guide
“…breathtaking and spectacular…a revolution displayed in the hands of an artist…”
Donald Sinta
Earl V. Moore Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Saxophone, The University of Michigan
“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
“Mead’s melodies are angular and supple, and McAllister renders them with a lyrical modern touch. Steady Study on the Boogie…is a fascinating piece, and McAllister plays it beautifully.”
Steve Hicken
American Record Guide - Review of Scena
“Tim McAllister is a stunning saxophonist…he has played and recorded two of my saxophone works, and I can’t imagine them being played any better by anyone.”
William Bolcom
Pulitzer Prize in Composition 1988
“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
“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
“one that will be studied and admired by saxophonists everywhere, yet deserves a still wider audience…remarkably good and thought provoking.”
FANFARE Magazine
“Mr. McAllister ‘has a singing legato matched with excellent and fluent technique…a superior performer.’”
Philip Farkas
Legendary Hornist, Former Principal Horn, Chicago Symphony
“It was Higdon’s concerto that offered the most sublime musical moments on the program…her saxophone concerto is an extremely lyrical piece whose ideas are clear and free of musical meandering…The work was played with warmth and agility by saxophonist Timothy McAllister…In the realm of contemporary music, finding a jewel amid the programmed mix is a rare music moment. And this concert delivered it with Higdon’s concerto.”
Edward Ortiz
The Sacramento Bee
“Friday evening, Jennifer Higdon’s lyrical Soprano Sax Concerto displayed the classical capabilities of the instrument and the musical talents of soloist Timothy McAllister. The music concentrates on song-like lines and emotional sensitivity rather than virtuosic fireworks, though McAllister’s gleaming tone and supple runs enhanced this fine work.”
Phyllis Rosenblum
The Santa Cruz Sentinel
“…jaw-dropping technical display…a well-known master of his instrument.”
Daniel Coombs
Audiophile Audition
“In Jennifer Higdon’s 2007 Soprano Saxophone Concerto, Tim McAllister was equally amazing. He produced a clearly focused sound in all registers — and some were very extreme…Higdon’s formal organization also is quite free, but her single-movement concept kept musical ideas fairly compact. McAllister’s artistry helped.”
Gregory BarnesThe State, Columbia, South Carolina
“[Glint] is a varied anthology of contemporary pieces…tangy, oxygen rich and kaleidoscopic.”
Rob Barnett
MusicWeb-International (UK)
“No doubt this disc will be much studied and admired by saxophonists and certainly deserves hearing among a still wider audience…remarkably good and thought provoking”
Robert McColley
Fanfare Magazine - Review of Visions
“One of America’s bright young stars in teaching and in performing…exceptionally gifted.”
Michael Segell
Author and Editor, New York Daily News
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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