Timothy McAllister has enjoyed an early career as a recognized saxophone recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber musician and teacher. He received degrees with honors from the University of Michigan where he studied saxophone with Donald Sinta and conducting with H. Robert Reynolds. As an undergraduate at Michigan, he was the first saxophonist to be awarded the School of Music's highest honor, the distinguished Albert A. Stanley Medal. Additional teachers have included John Sampen, Don LeFevre, Michael Jacobson, Ralph Burton, and Chester Rowell.
Described once by the late Philip Farkas as having "a wonderful
singing legato matched with excellent and fluent technique," Timothy McAllister
began his musical studies at age eleven and, soon after, made his first orchestral
appearance at the age of sixteen (performing Glazunov's Concerto in Eb). Awards that
soon followed included First Prize in the 1990 Pulaski-Rauch Young Musicians' Competition,
First Prize in the 1993 North American Saxophone Alliance Young Artist Competition,
winner of the University of Michigan Concerto Competition, and winner of the Earl
V. Moore Award in Music from the University of Michigan. Other honors include 2nd
Prize in the Lima (OH) Symphony Young Artist Competition, a prize winner in the Kingsville
International Competition, prize winner in the NFAA Arts Recognition and Talent Search
Competition, as well as awards and performance certificates from several other competitions
in the U.S. and abroad, including the GAUDEAMUS International Interpreter's Competition
in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Additionally, he has made appearances with the Detroit Chamber
Winds, the Oberlin Contemporary Music
Ensemble, the Houston Symphony, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Bay Area (TX) Wind Symphony,
the Houston Civic Symphony, and the Michigan Contemporary Directions Ensemble. Highlights
of recent seasons include his Carnegie Hall debut performing Ingolf Dahl's Concerto
for Alto Saxophone, and solo performances in Rotterdam's Zaal de Unie and Wilhelm
Pijper Hall; as well as an appearance at the 1997 Festival 'La boite e punaises'
in the Netherlands, performing the works of Andriessen, Berio, Carter, Lauba, Scelsi,
and Stockhausen.
McAllister is also a founding member of QUORUM, an eclectic sextet comprised of clarinet,
saxophone, violin, bassoon, piano, and percussion dedicated to new music and the
creation of new works by today's composers. This ensemble recently completed residencies
at the Interlochen Arts Camp and The University of New Mexico, and has been featured
in numerous university series and concert venues. QUORUM's 1998-1999 Season included
a New York debut in Merkin Hall. Also, McAllister can be heard performing as alto
saxophonist with the Michigan Saxophone Quartet featuring Donald Sinta, which has
made numerous appearances in the Midwest and the East Coast. He has also performed
with the renowned PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Resounding Winds, and, recently in recital,
with pianist Christopher Taylor.
Extensive collaboration with renowned pianist Kevin Class has led
to the performances of many 20th century works for saxophone and piano. Committed
to contemporary music, Duo Nuova (McAllister/Class) has performed extensively throughout
the U.S. and Europe. Highlights of recent seasons include appearances at the University
of Illinois, Michigan State University, West Virginia University, the Interlochen
(MI) Center for the Arts, the Grosse Point Chamber Series, The Tuesday Musicale of
Detroit, the University of Michigan, the Rotterdam Conservatory, and the Festival
Ensemblage in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. FANFARE Magazine hailed their premiere
disc VISIONS, found on Centaur Records, as one "to be admired by saxophonists
everywhere, yet deserves a still wider
audience...remarkably good and thought provoking." Also, American Record Guide
described the disc as
"provocative...[and] impressive...the musicianship of Duo Nuova is impeccable."
Their most recent recording project
includes sonatas by Albright, Denisov, Hindemith and others. McAllister and Kevin
Class are scheduled to premiere
Gunther Schuller's Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano in recital during the 1999-2000
season in New York's Weill
Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.
An active proponent of new music, McAllister has commissioned and/or
premiered over twenty-five new works by
award winning composers, including John Harbison, Daniel Worley, Benjamin Broening,
Brian Kershner, Marianne
Ploger, Stella Sung, Zack Browning, Erik Santos, Stephen Rush, Michael Timpson, Evan
K. Chambers and many others. He has also been responsible for the European and American
Premieres of several works, and, most recently, recorded new works by Dutch composers
for Dutch National Radio. Furthermore, he can be heard on the World-Premiere recording
of Michael Kowalski's Vapor Trails,released by Einstein Records. In addition, Equilibrium
Records, Ltd. has released the World-Premiere recording of Kevin Beavers' Shadowplays
for Alto Saxophone, Piano, and Percussion, performed by McAllister and the University
of Michigan Percussion Ensemble. Other forthcoming
recordings include the music of Evan Chambers featuring QUORUM and the Arizona University
Recordings release of
William Albright's DOO-DAH.
Mr. McAllister has conducted master classes/clinics/recitals for many colleges and
recital series throughout the
United States and Europe, including performances and masterclasses at regional and
national meetings of the North
American Saxophone Alliance. His teaching experience includes The University of
Michigan, the Interlochen Arts
Camp, the Michigan Youth Programs, and the Michigan All-State Program at Interlochen.
He currently serves as
Instructor of Saxophone for the Michigan All-State Program, where he coordinates
an annual, intensive summer High
School Saxophone Workshop. He has also served as Assistant Conductor of the Michigan
Youth Band.
Mr. McAllister joined the faculty of The Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam as Assistant Professor of Saxophone in 1998.
Back to the Return of Are You Brave ? Festival 2001