“Adams’s Saxophone Concerto was brought about by the stimulus of an extraordinary musician. Timothy McAllister’s seemingly effortless handling of the “City Noir” solos…determined Adams to write a concerto for him in that style…The playing of McAllister is a wonder to hear, and the performances by Robertson and company set the standard for these works…”

Ronald Grames FANFARE Magazine (Nov/Dec 2014 issue)

“hypnotically swirling lines and propulsive rhythms…brilliantly performed by all concerned and recorded with life-like fidelity.”

FANFARE Magazine FANFARE Magazine

“The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra paired the Eroica with a relatively new piece by John Adams, featuring saxophone virtuoso Timothy McAllister, for whom it was composed. It’s a daunting, virtuosic piece of work, a half-hour long, two-movement piece that allows the soloist almost no rest for its duration…McAllister’s signature sound is gorgeous–smooth and liquid–very similar to a clarinet in the middle register, and only a touch meatier at the bottom and top”

Paul Kosidowski Milwaukee Magazine (March 29, 2014)

“Timothy McAllister flew through complicated passagework, produced high notes of arresting intensity and intoned lyrical lines with soul and playfulness”

Daniel Hathaway ClevelandClassical.Com (10/18/14)

“(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…”

Lewis Whittington American Record Guide (Sept/Oct 2010)

“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

“Timothy McAllister delivers unusually pure and sweet tone in the cadenzas of Rush, the alto saxophone concerto. Faletta shows a clear affinity throughout for Fuchs’s warm, spacious, neo-Romantic idiom, and the LSO responds with lush yet pristine playing.”

Joshua Rosenblum Opera News (February 2019)

James Lee III

A new concerto dedicated to Timothy McAllister for alto saxophone and orchestra from James Lee III is coming for the 25/26 season! ABIDING LEGACY pays tribute to the African-American astronaut/saxophonist Ron McNair and commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the Challenger tragedy in 2026. McAllister, a Houston Bay Area native and son of NASA-affiliated employees, was a beginning saxophonist at the time of the space shuttle disaster which left him forever inspired by McNair’s life and those of his peers who the world lost that fateful day.

The 20-minute work for full symphony orchestra is fully commissioned through a gift from the Gail Straith Fund at the University of Michigan and is available for first performances and recording. Contact Martha Woods (info below).

Booking Information

Martha Woods
President
Jonathan Wentworth Associates Ltd.
6118 40th Avenue
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782-3012