“McAllister was the tirelessly virtuosic soloist, playing with rhythmic drive and confident swagger…”

Hugo Shirley The Telegraph (UK) (9/5/14)

“REVIEW: Gorgeous Tyshawn Sorey and Thomas Adès concerto double-bill at Lucerne Festival”
“…Sorey’s writing for the solo sax establishes whole another brand of virtuosity, one wrought of long lines, where each note is given its singular identity; a procedure akin to the playing of the concerto’s dedicatee as well as the tintinnabulations of...

Jari Kallio AIM-Adventures in Music (August 2022)

“…the world premiere of his new saxophone concerto was, therefore, a very special moment indeed. John Adams’ saxophone concerto is written for classical saxophonist Timothy McAllister. He gave an astonishing performance. Adams has thrown down the gauntlet with a solo line which demands speed, flexibility, musicality and, above all, stamina to keep going with barely a bar’s rest. McAllister delivered, punching out the “nervous bebop” sound (Adams’ description) with manic intensity, like a...

Harriet Cunningham The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), Aug 2013

“A tremendous saxophonist, McAllister played with great strength, bright tone, and excellent intonation—including the altissimo register—on all his horns…in the end Corigliano’s ‘Triathlon’ brought the house down in cheers for soloist, orchestra, and composer.”

George Grella New York Classical Review (6/5/22)

“World-renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister’s brilliant, crowd-pleasing performance was equal parts rock-star swagger and supremely polished musicianship”

Leonidas Lagrimas The Buffalo News (12/8/2019)

“Connesson knows how to be lyrical and expressive beyond the sentimentalism of John Adams. The audience, left breathless by the astounding virtuosity of Timothy McAllister, cheered on the composer who will see his work recorded for Deutsche Grammophon with the same performers.”

Bertrand Hainut DIAPASON Magazine (France)

“Adams’ new Saxophone Concerto, which had its first local performance with Timothy McAllister as the extravagantly focused soloist, marks a wonderfully important addition to the repertoire. Much of it comes at the listener in fast, breathless waves, like a cross between a Romantic concerto and a Charlie Parker solo; the contrasting episodes sustain a lustrous, debonair edge” Link to...

Joshua Kosman San Francisco Chronicle (2/1/16)

Vincent Ho

Whimsical Concerto of Fanciful Birds (2023)
I. Enchanted Migrations
II. Angels and Mockingbirds
III. Urban Birds

Premiered by Tim McAllister and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, this concerto represents the culmination of the composer’s years of writing for saxophone, namely in the series “Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds, Books 1-3” for alto saxophone and piano. This series are a collection of fifteen works that explore various bird-like or bird-inspired sounds that could be created on the saxophone instrument. After writing this collection (with the possibility of more to come), the inevitable next step was to adapt many of these musical ideas into a large-scale concerto. To fully capture the spirit of the avian world Ho envisioned, it was decided to score it for solo alto saxophone, orchestra, and spatialized saxophone ensemble–a collective of saxophonists placed in various areas of the concert hall surrounding the audience (eg. loges, balconies, aisles, etc) to serve as the “flock of birds” accompanying the soloist and orchestra while creating an immersive sonic experience for the audience.

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