PROJECT ENCORE, VOL. 2 featuring Timothy McAllister and Liz Ames

Long celebrated for his bravura playing and facility for making complex music and fingering look effortless, world renowned classical saxophonist Timothy McAllister has long been celebrated as a powerful interpreter of works by Pulitzer Prize winning composers such as John Adams (“Saxophone Concerto”) and John Corigliano, whose “Triathlon” was showcased when McAllister made his NY Phil debut in March 2025.

When he joined forces with famed collaborative pianist Liz Ames for Project Encore, Vol. 1 in 2022, his vision was just the opposite – to use their remarkable chemistry and complementary artistry to spotlight the brilliance of lesser known but still innovative and exciting composers.

The widespread critical acclaim the project received – including one reviewer’s assessment of the “unbridled passion” in the duo’s playing leads naturally to Project Encore, Vol. 2 – an equally expansive and extraordinary 19-piece masterwork of world premieres with a special twist. Before McAllister and Ames regale us with their alternately soulful and sensitive, whimsical and high spirited interpretations of numerous so called “lesser knowns,” they kick off with a brief (5 minute) but impactful, mood swinging three-part chamber work by one of the most celebrated composers in jazz and classical music, the Pulitzer and Grammy winning Wynton Marsalis.

The iconic trumpeter’s newly commissioned “Book Book Nova” allows McAllister and Ames to traverse from the reflective spirituality of “In Thy Guiding Light” to the single minute plucky, infectious (and whimsically titled) Pas de Deux “Skips, Trips and Double Dips” before wrapping with the wild, percussive, stop and start filled “Breaks for Branford,” an ode to Marsalis’ equally famed brother.

This brief but masterful suite sets the pace for a unique, multi-faceted journey featuring fresh, dynamic pieces by storied composer who fit McAllister and Ames’ “lesser known but equally brilliant” aesthetic perfectly. The other 16 tracks of Project Encore, Vol. 2 offer a perfect sampler to begin exploring the grand and groundbreaking artistry in today’s classical music landscape starting with the two Adams.

Adam Silverman’s jaunty, lyrical, playfully named “McAllister’s Ceilidh” and Adam Schoenberg’s dramatic, free-flowing invitation make perfect emotion packed entry points into the experience. Other pieces of special merit include Jennifer Higdon’s high energy “A Fine Line,” which offers the saxophonist and pianist countless opportunities to share their dual magic and fire; Iman Habibi’s immersive meditation “Sulfuric Rivers”; Lembit Beecher’s adventurous navigations through “Baltic Crossings”; and Catherine Likhuta’s densely percussive romp “Moment of Impact.”

McAllister and Ames artfully and emphatically wrap Project Encore, Vol. 2 with two sociopolitical charged pieces contrasting the dark road we’re on that guarantees “Mutually Assured Destruction” (the haunting, offbeat, frequently frenetic “Mutually Assured Destruction” (Sean Hickey) and the graceful, more hopeful “Coda for World Peace” (by Gregory Wanamaker). Listeners who love the first two volumes will be encouraged by the duo’s liner notes that conclude “we are excited for more to come!”