Marsalis-McAllister-Ames Trio
This sparkling new collaboration of GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Timothy McAllister with the brilliant artistry of pianist Liz Ames presents a rich and engaging program combining Marsalis’s emotive jazz style, McAllister’s cutting-edge techniques, and Ames’s sophisticated piano to create an intriguing mix of improvisation and precision, blending jazz’s spontaneity with the structured elegance of classical music. The critics agree: “Marsalis and McAllister moved easily between harmony and counterpoint, sometimes blending into a single, astonishing mix of color… Ames was an ideal partner.” The program includes Michael Daugherty’s Kansas City Confidential, which was written for the trio: “The score captures competitive spirit, the two saxophones circling each other like teenagers itching for a fight.” (ClevelandClassical.com)
Date | Friday, February 26, 2027
Time | 7:30PM
Venue | Performance Hall
Subscriptions On-sale: July 20, 2026
Single Tickets On-sale: August 10, 2026
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Preludes: Pre-Concert Conversations
Enhance your concert experience with free pre-concert conversations!Dr. Lucia Unrau hosts half-hour conversations with our distinguished guest artists before each concert in our Classical Series. These casual discussions provide insight about the evening’s program, including the music that will be performed, the soloists, and the ensembles. Preludes is the perfect way to deepen your musical understanding and enhance your enjoyment of the concert.
Preludes is held in the Recital Hall beginning one hour prior to show time. No ticket needed - Preludes is free for all to attend.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Branford Marsalis’ decades-long multifaceted career spans multiple genres, including jazz and classical as both a performer and a composer, compositions for film and Broadway, and collaborations with a diverse set of artists such as his brother Wynton Marsalis, Art Blakey, Sting, The Grateful Dead, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joshua Bell. He is the winner of multiple GRAMMY Awards, an Emmy and Tony Award nominee, and he has been recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Marsalis has become a regular soloist with ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with a wide-ranging repertoire that includes compositions by Adams, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, John Williams, and more. Even as he tours the world as a classical soloist, Marsalis continues to perform with The Branford Marsalis Quartet, which he formed in 1986. After having received GRAMMY nominations on its last two albums, Upward Spiral and The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, the Quartet made its Blue Note Records debut in 2025 with the release of the GRAMMY-nominated album, Belonging, a full album interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 ECM album of the same name.
Marsalis has become a regular soloist with ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with a wide-ranging repertoire that includes compositions by Adams, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, John Williams, and more. Even as he tours the world as a classical soloist, Marsalis continues to perform with The Branford Marsalis Quartet, which he formed in 1986. After having received GRAMMY nominations on its last two albums, Upward Spiral and The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, the Quartet made its Blue Note Records debut in 2025 with the release of the GRAMMY-nominated album, Belonging, a full album interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 ECM album of the same name.
Liz Ames is revered globally as a premier collaborative pianist, specializing in the most innovative wind and chamber repertoire. She has contributed to albums by top instrumentalists worldwide, credited with over 50 commissions and world premieres. Recent engagements include solo appearances with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Grand Rapids Ballet, as well as performances with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, collaborating with Detroit Symphony Orchestra members including Hannah Hammel Maser, Scott Strong, Jiamin Wang, and Alex Kinmonth.
With her duo partner, three-time GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Timothy McAllister, she has released four critically acclaimed albums: Collected Works of Andy Scott (Naxos), iconic saxophone repertoire (XAS Records), Project Encore Vol.1 and Vol. 2 (Neuma) acclaimed for "rich and expressive duets" (Jazz Weekly). A Vincent Ho anthology is due in 2026. Along with McAllister and the legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis, she has created the Marsalis-McAllister-Ames Trio.
Ames serves on the collaborative piano staff at the University of Michigan, also collaborating for workshops at Interlochen and MPulse Institutes.
With her duo partner, three-time GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Timothy McAllister, she has released four critically acclaimed albums: Collected Works of Andy Scott (Naxos), iconic saxophone repertoire (XAS Records), Project Encore Vol.1 and Vol. 2 (Neuma) acclaimed for "rich and expressive duets" (Jazz Weekly). A Vincent Ho anthology is due in 2026. Along with McAllister and the legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis, she has created the Marsalis-McAllister-Ames Trio.
Ames serves on the collaborative piano staff at the University of Michigan, also collaborating for workshops at Interlochen and MPulse Institutes.
One of today’s most celebrated wind soloists, GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Timothy McAllister is a longtime member of the renowned PRISM Quartet, has appeared with the world’s best orchestras, and is a champion of contemporary music credited with over 60 recordings. Recent highlights include his acclaimed debut with the New York Philharmonic featuring John Corigliano’s saxophone concerto.
In 2025 he performed and recorded new concerti written for him by Adolphus Hailstork and Steven Mackey. In 2026 he will premiere a new concerto by James Lee III, and in 2027, new concerti by Viet Cuong and Paul Moravec. Additional world premieres include John Adams’s Saxophone Concerto, which he performed at the BBC Proms, and Tyshawn Sorey’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith). His recording of Adams’s Saxophone Concerto and City Noir earned a GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance.
McAllister’s most recent release with pianist Liz Ames, Project Encore, Vol. 2, showcases today’s top composers, from Wynton Marsalis to Jennifer Higdon. With Liz Ames and legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis, he has launched a new ensemble, the Marsalis-McAllister-Ames Trio.
In 2025 he performed and recorded new concerti written for him by Adolphus Hailstork and Steven Mackey. In 2026 he will premiere a new concerto by James Lee III, and in 2027, new concerti by Viet Cuong and Paul Moravec. Additional world premieres include John Adams’s Saxophone Concerto, which he performed at the BBC Proms, and Tyshawn Sorey’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith). His recording of Adams’s Saxophone Concerto and City Noir earned a GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance.
McAllister’s most recent release with pianist Liz Ames, Project Encore, Vol. 2, showcases today’s top composers, from Wynton Marsalis to Jennifer Higdon. With Liz Ames and legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis, he has launched a new ensemble, the Marsalis-McAllister-Ames Trio.
