“brilliant solos were in abundance, especially by Timothy McAllister…”
“the main attraction of this enjoyable St. Louis Symphony album, conducted by David Robertson, is Adams’ Saxophone Concerto, composed for the virtuosic Timothy McAllister, who plays it here. Stacked with swing-era allusions, moody 4am interludes and cartwheeling acrobatics, it is unpretentious fun from start to finish”
“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.”
“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.”
“(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…”
PRISM will perform Julia Wolfe’s “Cha” at Chamber Music America’s National Conference on Friday, January 8th at 8 PM at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music located at 450 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018. Tickets may be available to attendees of the CMA conference only. Check with CMA at www.chamber-music.org for more info.
Walla Walla (WA) Chamber Music Festival January 14-17, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016 @ 7:30 PM New Works World premieres of compositions by UPenn doctoral students Andrew Davis, Marc LeMay, Jacob Walls, Finola Merivale, Kevin Laskey, Kai-Young Chan, and Joshua Hey; and previous PRISM commissions from UPenn alumni Jennifer Higdon (“Bop”), David Ludwig (“Josquin Microludes”), and David Laganella (“Leafless Trees”).
The PRISM Quartet presents a breathtaking program of freshly minted saxophone quartets by Barlow Prize winner Ben Hjertmann; Goddard Lieberson and Guggenhiem Fellow James Primosch; Pew and Guggenhiem Fellow Anna Weesner; Jay Reise, whose work has been supported by the Fromm Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts;Kyle Bartlett, of counter)induction fame; and Jane Lange, winner of the PRISM/Walden School Commissioning Award.
PRISM is joined by jazz saxophone greats Diego Rivera and Andrew Bishop for three works on the program: Improvisations by Chris Potter, “one of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” (DownBeat), Found by PRISM’s own Matthew Levy, and Dave Liebman’s arrangement of John Coltrane’s ballad, Dear Lord. The program also spotlights PRISM in performances of “Radical Alignment” from 15 Places At The Same Time by Steve Lehman, Leafless Trees by David Laganella, and the world premiere of Schumann Bouquet, Pulitzer Prize-winner William Bolcom’s new adaptation of piano works by Robert Schumann.
Friday, April 29, 2016 at 8:00pm – Tampa, Straz Center (STRAZ)|| Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 8:00pm – St Petersburg, Mahaffey Theater (MAH)|| Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7:30pm – Clearwater, Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH) Michael Francis, conductor
Britten Sinfonia da Requiem Donald Runnicles, conductor
PRISM and Sō Percussion premiere a new work by Steven Mackey and a new arrangement of Donnacha Dennehy’s “The Pale.” Mackey, who previously composed masterful works for both ensembles separately, creates the first major octet combining saxophone and percussion quartets. Dennehy’s work is a musical imagining of the area encompassing Dublin called the Pale, where British rule was at its strongest in the 14th century. According to Dennehy, “they even protected this area with ditches and fences to keep the barbarous, thuggish Irish out—the great unwashed were, as the phrase became, ‘beyond the pale.’” Also on the program: the Philadlephia premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’ “Saxophone Quartet,” Bryce Dessner’s “Music for Wood & Strings,” and Hymn from Kati Agócs’ “Coluratura.”
James MacMillan’s Sinfonietta; James MacMillan, conductor
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and piano Gershwin-Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band version) || Bernstein-Symphonic Dances from West Side Story || Rachmaninoff-Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
William Albright Sonata; Florian von Radowitz, piano
Together with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, KCH highlights the contribution of women to the world of chamber music, featuring works by pioneering female composers Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ellen Taffe Zwilich. Kristin Kuster’s “Jellyfish” will be performed by new DCWS member Tim McAllister and pianist Liz Ames.
DCWS highlights pioneering female composers Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn and Ellen Taffe Zwilich. Kristin Kuster’s “Jelly Fish” will be performed by a new DCWS member, Tim McAllister. And don’t miss a special interview with Christine Ammer, an esteemed musicologist and author of “A History of Women in American Music.”
University Symphony Orchestra; Kenneth Kiesler, conductor
In celebration of their 2016 Christopher Kendall Award, PRISM is presented in masterclass and recital 12:30-2:30 pm on Friday, October 21 as part of the 2016 SMTD alumni weekend.
Robert Boardman, conductor
Timothy McAllister, saxophones; Liz Ames, piano - French standards and contemporary American works
Soloist/Co-soloist with International Symphony Orchestra “Taurida”; Mihail Golikov, conductor; Music of Etezady, Glazunov, Villa-Lobos, d’Indy, Bolcom
William Bolcom’s Concert Suite