“Relatively few classical composers have given the instrument a successful spotlight, but John Adams is out to change that with his new Saxophone Concerto…a gleaming vehicle for virtuoso saxophonist Timothy McAllister. He nails the fluent angularity and punchiness in the music with a lyrical touch somewhere comfortably between jazz and classical styles”

Tom Huizenga Deceptive Cadence from NPR Classical (June 12, 2014)

“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

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

Daniel Coombs Audiophile Audition

“Timothy McAllister gave intense, intelligent performances…mournful [and] exuberant…”

Bruce Hodges S&H International Concert Review - MusicWeb (UK)

“the concerto’s high point allows Corigliano’s celebrated gift for melody to shine. McAllister’s beautiful playing here lingers in the mind more than the work’s virtuosic moments, dazzlingly rendered though they were.”

Musical America George Loomis (April 2025)

[REVIEW: John Adams leads Cleveland Orchestra in riveting program] “The three-movement quasi-concerto featuring saxophone soloist Timothy McAllister conjures the dark and mysterious Los Angeles of the 1940s and 50s…McAllister soared beautifully against strings, vibraphone, and solo horn.”

Kevin McLaughlin Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 2024)

“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”

Richard Morrison The Times London (5/31/14)

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