Czech clarinetist Milan Rericha and Czech-American pianist Kristina Henckel are presenting a program called "Music Connections." The program features original pieces for clarinet and piano by C. Saint-Saens, B. Martinu, and F. Poulenc. In addition, Milan and Kristina will perform a few transcriptions of popular classical music, such as Bassi's Fantasia on Verdi's Rigoletto, Monti's Czardas, and Rimsky-Korsakov's The Flight of Bumblebee. The performance will be on the RZ Bohema Clarinet, made in the Czech Republic, and BPAC's Steingraeber and Sӧhne concert grand piano.

Milan and Kristina met as classmates at the Music Conservatory in Teplitz, Czech Republic. During their studies, they collaborated on multiple occasions for competitions and performances. After 30 years, they are reuniting for a set of concerts in North Carolina, with the first performance at BPAC!

Milan Rericha is a world-renowned clarinet virtuoso and educator. He has received critical acclaim for his solo performances with the Südwestphalen Philharmonie, conducted by Charles Olivier Munroe, in Seigen, Germany, where he was compared to the legendary Benny Goodman. He was also the first Czech soloist to perform with the famous Symphony Orchestra OSPA, conducted by Ira Levin, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he enthused the audience.

Milan is the Ambassador of RZ Woodwind Manufacturing and plays RZ BOHEMA. He represents the endowment fund Gabrielis, over which he has taken a kind patronage, and acts as the Artistic Director of the international clarinet competition in Europe, CCA—Czech Clarinet Art. Milan Rericha is an international artist of Gonzalez Reeds and Silverstein Works. As an orchestral and chamber musician, he has recorded for BMG, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, CHANDOS, Supraphon, and Sonny Music. He made a solo CD for Czech labels Bohemia Records and ROSA Music.

Since 2004, he has been an exclusive artist for the Swiss label EMR – MARCOPHON. Collection Milan Rericha includes 13 solo CDs and more than 100 works for clarinet with orchestra or piano.

Dr. Kristina Henckel is a highly accomplished pianist and teacher who is originally from the Czech Republic. She received her degree from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where she studied under the guidance of Professor Peter Toperczer. Kristina has been recognized for her outstanding talents in various competitions, placing third in the Chopin Piano Competition and Smetana Piano Competition, respectively, and winning first prize in the National Piano Competition of Conservatories. She was also awarded a special prize for the best performance of Antonín Dvořák’s compositions.

Kristina has performed as a soloist and collaboratively in recitals across Europe and the US. Her music has been broadcast on various radio stations, such as Radio Vltava in the Czech Republic and King FM 98.1 in Washington. She is a Ritmüller piano artist and, in 2022, became a laureate of The American Prize competition. Dr. Henckel is a music faculty member at Sandhills Community College and Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.

Learn more at the artists' websites:

https://milanrericha.com/en/

https://kristinahenckel.com/

LOBBY DOORS and the BOX OFFICE open 1 hour before showtime.

THEATER DOORS open for seating approximately 25 minutes before showtime.

CONCESSIONS AVAILABLE at this performance: beer, wine, soda, snacks

***There is no need to arrive extraordinarily early. Know that if you choose to arrive prior to lobby doors opening, there is no place to sit and wait for the lobby to open other than the outdoor benches in Evelyn's Courtyard.

All children under 13 must be seated with an adult at this performance. Children under 5 will not be permitted into the theater. Everyone attending the performance, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Any person disrupting a performance or inhibiting the enjoyment of an event for guests may be removed from the theater without refund.