The first half of Stoltzman’s program includes Three Preludes by George Gershwin, “Pastorale” by Elliott Carter, “Making the Rounds” by William Thomas McKinley and “Three American Pieces” by Lukas Foss. Following an intermission, Stoltzman will continue with “New York Counterpoint” by Steve Reich, “Songs” by Charles Ives and Sonata for Clarinet and Piano by Leonard Bernstein.

Stoltzman’s virtuosity, musicianship and personal magnetism have made him one of today’s most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than a hundred orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer, as an innovative jazz artist and as an exclusive BMG/RCA recording artist, Stoltzman has dazzled critics and audiences alike throughout many musical genres.

The New York Times called Stoltzman “a classical superstar. He is, by any standards, one of the world’s premiere clarinetists and a musician with an exceptionally personal approach to every piece he plays.”

Stoltzman gave the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, and in 1986, he became the first wind player to be awarded the Avery Fisher Prize. He has performed or recorded with such jazz and pop greats as Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Mel Torme and Judy Collins.

Stoltzman has recorded more than 45 releases, including a Grammy-winning recording of Brahms sonatas with Richard Goode. His recent releases include five of the greatest chamber works ever written: the Brahms and Weber clarinet quintets with the Tokyo Quartet and the trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, which won Stoltzman his second Grammy Award in 1996. Stoltzman’s most recent release, “Danza Latina” on RCA Victor, includes tangos and other Latin-inspired works, and was performed live as part of a Stoltzman family concert at the Hollywood Family Bowl and Boston’s Fanueil Hall last season. An orchestral recording of works by Nielsen, Lutoslawski and Prokofiev is forthcoming.

Stoltzman graduated from Ohio State with a double major in music and mathematics. He earned a master’s degree in music from Yale University while studying with Keith Wilson and later worked toward a doctoral degree with Kalmen Opperman at Columbia University. As a 10-year participant in the Marlboro Music Festival, Stoltzman gained extensive chamber music experience and subsequently became a founding member of the noted ensemble TASHI, which made its debut in 1973.

“Rarely has any band, inside or outside jazz, combined instrumental virtuosity and antic irreverence so thoroughly,” said The Boston Globe of the Willem Breuker Kollektief. Equally at home in jazz clubs as in philharmonic halls, the Kollektief, led by saxophonist, clarinettist and composer Willem Breuker, plays a hybrid of music that cuts across traditional music lines.

The Willem Breuker Kollektief’s approach involves combinations of jazz and classical music with many popular genres, from marching bands and circus music to Latin dance steps and music for film and theater. “When we play, I really want the audience to follow what we are doing, to feel that they are part of the band instead of just sitting there watching us. It has to be a very active situation,” Breuker told The Melbourne Herald Sun.

Founded in 1974 and touring extensively throughout the world, the Kollektief consists of 11 improvisational and journeyman musicians. Winner of the prestigious 1988 Bird Award, Breuker composes his music with these artists especially in mind. Whether playing Breuker, Weill, Gershwin, Prokofiev or Ellington, the Kollektief maintains an orchestral precision that, in the words of one critic, “would be the envy of most philharmonics.” In 1998, Breuker received a knighthood in the order of the Lion of the Netherlands.

The next concert in the Bates College Concert Series will be virtuoso clarinettist Richard Stoltzman, who will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 2, in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall. Tickets for this concert are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors and may be purchased by calling 207-786-6252.