“Hailstork’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Strings is a potent distillation of American music, with elements of high church, jazz, and African-American spirituals…the pairing of saxophone and strings created a powerful, minimalist effect; a canvas upon which McAllister painted Hailstork’s complex melodies that commanded every note in his instrument’s range. An electrifying and auspicious premiere.”

“Hailstork’s concerto is a wild-ride…the lightning-fast runs reminded me of Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, not to mention the gorgeous singing tone of McAllister’s performance…so smooth, so lyrical, so beautiful…”