Timothy McAllister – City Noir/Saxophone Concerto receives two Grammy Nominations; on Year-End lists

“a titan of contemporary music and the instrument in general”

Zachary Lewis The Plain Dealer, Cleveland (10/7/14)

“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

“…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

“[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.”

Mark Swed Los Angeles Times

“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

“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)

“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 Barnes The State, Columbia, South Carolina

[Review: “LA Phil Brings ‘New World’ to Seoul”] “Resplendent saxophone solos thrilled audiences throughout…”

Kwon Ji-youn The Korea Times (3/27/15)

“…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

“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

“One of America’s bright young stars in teaching and in performing…exceptionally gifted.”

Michael Segell Award-Winning Author and Contributing Editor, Esquire Magazine

“Handling the extensive saxophone solos was guest musician Timothy McAllister, who performed the work’s world premiere and who was brought in at Adams’ request. Although seated in the middle of the orchestra, he stood for the solos and played the jazz-inspired riffs in a nervy, improvisatory style, a highlight of what was a fine performance.”

David Fleshler The Miami Herald/South Florida Classical Review

[“SLSO fires on all cylinders with creative concert featuring ‘Bolero’”] On Connesson’s ‘A Kind of Trane’: “Much of it sounded like dazzling improvisation…complete mastery of every nuance of phrase and melody”

John Huxhold St. Louis Post-Dispatch (3/6/20)

“It is a formidable challenge for a saxophonist to make the composer’s astonishing range of sounds flow as smoothly and enticingly as McAllister does, nor is it a given that the intricate rhythmic give-and-take between soloist and conductor Giancarlo Guerrero could fall into place as merrily as it did with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall. The results, however, were nothing short of exhilarating.
…the thrills come partly from McAllister’s virtuosity but also from Corigliano’s fertile orchestral imagination. It is heady stuff, and I for one can’t wait to hear this again.”
Full review HERE

Harvey Steiman Seen and Heard International (4/9/22)

“…jaw-dropping technical display…a well-known master of his instrument.”

Daniel Coombs Audiophile Audition

“fantastic virtuosity and lyric beauty”

John Corigliano Pulitzer Prize Laureate, Grammy, and Oscar-winning composer

“John Corigliano’s ‘Triathlon’ with saxophone soloist Timothy McAllister was the finale and a knock out success…a commanding performance with the composer on hand to share in the ovation.”

Joseph Dalton Times-Union (6/5/22)

“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

“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

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City Noir/Saxophone Concerto receives two Grammy Nominations; on Year-End lists

December 22, 2014

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.

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