| “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” |
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Robert McColley, Fanfare Magazine
(Review of Visions) |
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| “...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.” |
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Stephen Max, American Record Guide
(Review of Visions) |
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| “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.” |
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Steve Hicken, American Record Guide
(Review of Scena) |
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| “McAllister's evocative renditions and virtuoso artistry throughout the CD [SCENA] enables the music, as well as the saxophone, to transcend the potential pitfalls inherent in an ambitious project of this nature and allow the listener to be embraced by the musical challenges presented for both performer and listener...an excellent CD in both performance and composition of music.” |
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| Frank Bongiorno, The Saxophone Symposium |
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| “...McAllister performed solos crucial to the work’s flavor with brashness that never overpowered a beautifully rounded tone.” |
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| Michael Rodman, The Ann Arbor News |
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| “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.” |
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William Bolcom
Pulitzer Prize in Composition 1988 |
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| “Your record [SCENA] is exceptional and the interpretation of Steady Study on the Boogie is maybe the best I have ever heard...Thank you for playing and teaching my music so brilliantly!" |
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Christian Lauba
Award-winning French composer |
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| McAllister “gave a remarkable performance of my Concerto, unmatched by others,” |
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Ross Lee Finney
Former Professor Emeritus of Composition
University of Michigan |
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| Mr. McAllister “has a singing legato matched with excellent and fluent technique...a superior performer.” |
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Philip Farkas
Legendary Hornist
Former Principal French Horn
Chicago Symphony |
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| “a mature, polished performer...whose dynamic and color contrasts enhance his ability to communicate - Bravo!” |
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Leone Buyse
Former Associate Principal Flute
Boston Symphony Orchestra |
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| "...McAllister's flexibility of sound, judicious use of vibrato, ease of altissimo, and tonal techniques make it possible to listen without distraction." |
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Debra McKim, The Saxophone Symposium
(Review of Cold Water, Dry Stone) |
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| "Chambers' Come Down Heavy!...a tour de force that tested the upper sonic limits in wild and woolly playing by Timothy McAllister on alto sax..." |
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| John Fleming, St. Petersburg Times |
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| "Timothy McAllister gave intense, intelligent performances...mournful [and] exuberant..." |
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| Bruce Hodges, S&H International Concert Review - MusicWeb (UK) |
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"I have great admiration for your great talent...I
have been very impressed by your masterful technique, by the simplicity of your playing, by your musical intelligence, by the perfect presentation..." |
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Jean-Marie Londeix
Saxophone Professor (retired)
Conservatoire National de Bourdeaux |
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| Two albums (Visions and Scena) listed among "Top Classical Saxophone Recordings" |
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| Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press, October 2000 |
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| "...A contrasting sense of solemnity followed in two brief yet moving memorial works for unaccompanied soprano saxophone by Mark-Anthony Turnage." On McAllister's performance of Two Memorials. |
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Jeremy Eichler, The New York Times
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| "One of America's bright young stars in teaching and in performing...exceptionally gifted." |
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| Michael Segell, author and editor, New York Daily News |
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"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. The single-movement concerto consisted of long stretches of ever-evolving melisma, with phrases cleverly imitated by other solo instruments in a way that seemed to weave a tapestry to the glory of melody. This work is a significant testament to beauty."
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| Jeff Dunn, San Francisco Classical Voice |
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HEADLINE: "Gem Found in New Works at Cabrillo"
"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, and Higdon smartly capitalized on the subtle power of the soprano sax as counterpoint to a small orchestra. What resulted was a tasty balance, with an almost pastoral feel to the work. 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." |
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| Edward Oriz, The Sacramento Bee |
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| "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" |
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| Scott MacClelland, Metro Santa Cruz |
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| "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." |
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| Phyllis Rosenblum, The Santa Cruz Sentinel |
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| "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!" |
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JacobTV (aka Jacob ter Veldhuis)
Celebrated Dutch Avant-Pop composer |
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Headline: "Virtuoso Sax Players Perform Brilliantly with USC Symphony"
"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. Introspective, complex chords at the opening were quite satisfying and led to lengthy, florid solo passages and clever interchanges with orchestral solos...Higdon’s formal organization also is quite free, but her single-movement concept kept musical ideas fairly compact. McAllister’s artistry helped." |
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| Gregory Barnes, The State, Columbia, South Carolina |
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| “…breathtaking and spectacular…a revolution displayed in the hands of an artist…” |
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Donald Sinta
Earl V. Moore Distinguished Professor of Saxophone, The University of Michigan |
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