Premiering this weekend with the Nashville Symphony
Carrying the Sound Forward: Timothy McAllister on Abiding Legacy
When Timothy McAllister takes the stage with the Nashville Symphony for the world premiere of Abiding Legacy: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, the moment carries both musical and historical weight. Composed by James Lee III, the work honors the life and enduring influence of Ron McNair, whose legacy as a scientist, musician, and pioneer continues to resonate forty years after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. For McAllister—one of the foremost advocates for contemporary saxophone repertoire—the concerto is more than a premiere: it is a deeply personal act of tribute, a narrative shaped by inspiration, collaboration, and the expanding voice of the instrument itself. He has previously appeared with the Nashville Symphony in a performance of John Corigliano’s Triathalon written for McAllister) and Adam’s City Noir
In the following conversation, McAllister reflects on the artistic and emotional stakes of bringing Abiding Legacy to life, offering insight into both the technical demands of the concerto and its broader cultural resonance. He speaks candidly about collaborating with James Lee III, navigating the weight of historical memory embedded in the work, and shaping a performance that honors Ron McNair’s legacy while engaging contemporary audiences. The interview reveals a musician deeply attuned not only to sound, but to the responsibility of interpretation—where virtuosity becomes a vehicle for remembrance and meaning.
Music City Review [MCR]: “Abiding Legacy” is a powerful title—what does James Lee III’s concept of “legacy” mean in this piece with regards to Ron McNair and the marking of the 40th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy?
Timonthy McAllister [TM]: All of the heroes past and present of space exploration leave a legacy of their own. They paved the way for future generations across multiple disciplines. Ron McNair was a pioneer and certainly a role model not only within the African American community but for dreamers everywhere. He embodied the spirit of that entire STS-51L mission team, which as everyone remembers also included Christa McAuliffe, the first astronaut chosen from NASA’s Teachers in Space program.
MCR: How are these ideas expressed in the music and how do you bring these ideas across as a performer?
TM: The score by James Lee III has a brilliance and open quality to it that harkens back to sweeping, cinematic sci-fi without any cliche devices. There is a subtle programmatic underpinning which chronicles McNair’s life growing up in South Carolina to a poignant, ethereal tribute in the work’s second movement, “Remembered among the stars…” Given that Dr. McNair was an accomplished saxophonist himself (and the first to ever play the instrument in space on a prior shuttle mission) I view my soloist role as the storyteller, the protagonist, and the living embodiment of his inspiration. I chose to play the saxophone because of Ron McNair, and this is a chance to honor him and his colleagues through music.
MCR: As the soloist in a world premiere, how closely have you collaborated with James Lee III during the development of the concerto? Were there moments where your input directly shaped the saxophone writing?
TM: James and I met a number of times over zoom to discuss technical aspects of the saxophone, register concerns, and the overall scope of the work. My input comes largely from knowing what elements truly help the saxophone shine in a symphonic setting.
MCR: The alto saxophone still occupies a relatively unique space in the concerto repertoire—what opportunities does this piece create for expanding the instrument’s orchestral voice?
TM: The work is a profound, virtuosic display which still provides a great deal of accessibility to the listener. Such a formula can help the piece find its way into the repertoire, and its deep connection to an important moment in human history can offer intriguing programming options, such as these Nashville Symphony space-themed concerts.
MCR: Can you talk about the technical and expressive demands of this concerto? What makes it distinct from other major works you’ve performed—what should we all listen for?
TM: James has created an amazing web of soaring lines and rapid technique for the soloist that poses some challenges for stamina and concentration, much like a powerhouse violin concerto. He pushes the extreme altissimo register of the alto saxophone, not for gratuitous effect, but to highlight the operatic quality of the highest register when played well. Every detail has a reason in James’s music, every nuance carefully crafted. I haven’t encountered a piece in which such difficult passages were still deeply beautiful, and, ultimately, deeply rewarding to play.
MCR: Contemporary concertos often balance accessibility with complexity—where does Abiding Legacy fall on that spectrum, and how do you connect it to audiences hearing it for the first time?
TM: A world premiere is always uncharted territory, and it’s difficult to gauge how a piece may connect. All I can do as the storyteller is project the ideas and channel the composer’s thoughts and vision to the best of my ability. I often find that when I’m successful in that endeavour, the audience becomes increasingly dialed in and choose to strap in for the ride. If a performer gives everything to the music, audiences will invest in the experience even when every sound, every theme is foreign to them. James has found the perfect balance of complexity and accessibility within a semi-programmatic context, all while challenging the soloist and bringing forth deeper themes of innovation and remembrance.
MCR: You’ve been one of the leading champions of new music for saxophone—what excites you most about introducing a brand-new work into the repertoire at this stage in your career?
TM: The work and the mission never ends. The excitement never wanes. I’ve known James for over 25 years, and this project became the perfect collaboration for us. New music on its most fundamental level is collaboration. Performers and composers work together to bring a new work to life. We hope to leave our own legacies, and I’m hopeful I will be remembered one day as someone who helped bring some of the best concert works for our instrument into the world.
MCR: Does this concerto draw on any particular musical traditions—jazz, spirituals, or other American idioms—and how do those influences shape your interpretation?
TM: James would probably be a better source for that information, but it’s hard to separate the saxophone from its jazz heritage; however, nothing specifically jazz-oriented exists in the work. References to folk themes, subtle hymnal writing, and the vocal nature jazz evokes in the saxophonist (glissandi, ‘blue’ notes, embellishments) can be heard throughout the work. For me the piece is a glowing example of Americana which treats outer space and its openness much like how Copland did when capturing the sound of the Great Plains or the American West. That openness inspires a more brilliant, projected, and vibrant playing style than, say, a conservatory recital piece for saxophone.
MCR: World premieres carry a certain pressure but also a sense of freedom—how do you navigate that balance in performance, especially knowing there’s no established interpretive tradition yet?
TM: It’s fun to be the ‘first’ to set the benchmark for the piece, but it can also be stressful in that the composer is counting on you to deliver, and they’re the ones we are hoping to please the most! The audience might not know if you are hitting every note perfectly, but the composers certainly do. It’s a joyful challenge for me.
MCR: After the premiere, what do you hope Abiding Legacy’s life will be? Do you see it becoming a staple for other saxophonists, and what would that mean to you personally?
TM: It would mean a lot to me if this work found its way into the programming and curricula for aspiring and professional saxophonists one day who might learn more about the impact pioneers like Ron McNair and all the heroes of the space industry have had on our lives. The piece delves deeper into my own personal history and why I chose to take up this amazing instrument. I believe exciting compositions with a deeper story to tell always have a great chance of becoming a staple in any instrument’s repertoire.
In Abiding Legacy, past and present converge—memory and motion, tribute and transformation. Through McAllister’s performance, Lee’s score becomes a living act of remembrance, carrying forward the spirit of McNair and the broader ambitions of exploration he represents. As the final notes fade, the work leaves behind not just an impression, but an invitation: to listen more closely, to remember more fully, and to consider how music itself can extend a legacy beyond history into lived experience. If this premiere marks a beginning, it is one rooted in continuity—an artistic trajectory that, like the figures it honors, reaches well beyond the horizon. McAllister’s performance will be part of a space-themed concert this weekend at the Schermerhorn, including Gustav Holst’s The Planets, and Joaquín Rodrigo: A la busca del más allá (In search of the beyond). Tickets are available at www.Nashvillesymphony.org.
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