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Raise the curtain on Opera Arlington’s next season!
Join soprano Gabrielle Gilliam, pianist Cristian Garcia, and burlesque dancer Porsche Velour for an enchanting evening of song and dance... straight from the cabaret.
Drawing on the rich, complex repertoire of 1920s and '30s European cabaret, Cabaret Kunst (a title featuring the German word for "art") explores the multitude of experiences that shaped the era's artists, and the extraordinary works they made under pressure. Between the wars, the cabarets of Berlin, Paris, and Vienna became sanctuaries of radical expression, as performers, poets, and composers turned the stage into a place of simultaneous defiance and joy.
These were creators who understood that freedom of expression is not merely a luxury, but the very condition that makes a full life possible.
Cabaret Kunst celebrates the spirit of these “degenerate” artists: some of the few voices of their time with the bravery to speak truth to power. Join us in their world for the night—with its laughter, its heartbreak, its glittering surfaces and shadowed truths—an evening that asks us to remember why art matters, and what is lost when artists are silenced. From rarely-performed pieces straight out of Weimar, to velvety, impressionist-influenced mélodie, expect to be seduced by an evening of music unlike any other.
A 50-minute program presented in English, German, French, and Czech with English supertitles.
Please Note: Cabaret Kunst contains adult content and themes consistent with the cabaret tradition it celebrates. Opera Arlington recommends this program for patrons 15 years of age and older, accompanied by a chaperone.
A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST
(TAP TO EXPAND)
I have been thinking about this recital for a long time so when I had a moment to visit the Kimball Art Museum in 2021 for their Entartete exhibit, I knew I had to go. When I was finally there, standing before a canvas that was once condemned, the weight of what I saw became almost unbearable. The art I was consuming was not simply paintings. They were acts of survival in the face of what seemed at the time to be an impossible darkness.
That moment is when I knew I had to create this program.
The artists and composers you will hear tonight were, in one way or another, outsiders. Some fled. Some were imprisoned. Some did not survive. Their music was banned, their names erased from concert programs, their memorials torn down. Their paintings and writings were stolen, burned, buried, and scattered acorss the world. Vítězslava Kaprálová died a refugee at twenty-five. Viktor Ullmann organized concerts inside Theresienstadt, insisting that their endeavor with respect to the arts was commensurate with their will to live. And yet...their art endured.
What moves me most is not that these artists suffered. It is that they refused to be silenced and continued to create in the face of great opposition. They continued to exist and refused to be snuffed out by the evil of fear and ignorance. Weill satirized the powerful from exile. Eisler believed music belonged to everyone. Mischa Spoliansky wrote what is considered one of the first gay anthems — quietly, defiantly, under a pseudonym. These were not passive acts. They were radical ones.
I chose this program because I believe that art is not decoration. It is argument. It is memory. It is the part of us that refuses to disappear. Tonight, we are bearing witness to people who made something beautiful under impossible circumstances and to the questions they were asking that are not so different from the ones we are asking now.
I hope this music moves you. Thank you for being here to share this art with me.
-Gabrielle Gilliam
PROGRAM
(TAP TO EXPAND)ACT I
Mack the Knife from Three Penny Opera
Music by Kurt Weill (1900-1950)
Text by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
No. 2 Auf flügeln des gesanges from Sechs Gesänge Op. 34
Music by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Text by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Art by Emilde Nolde, c.1930/1940
Red and Yellow Poppies with a Blue Delphinium
Mariettas Lied from Die Tote Stadt
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Art by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1930
The Kiss
And the Times are Dark and Fearful (1934)
Music by Hanns Eisler(1898-1962)
Text by Bertolt Brecht
Art by Käthe Kollwitz
The Battlefield
Das Solistiche Orchester
Peter Igelhoff, Goldene Sieben Orchestra, Harold Kirchstein
Art by Georges Braque, 1938
Fruit, Glass, and Mandolin
Das Lila Lied
Music by Mischa Spoliansky (1898-1985)
Text by Kurt Schwabach (1898-1966)
Art by Paul Klee, 1937
Die Schale des Herzens (Chalice of the Heart)
Surabaya Johnny from Happy End
Music by Kurt Weill
Text by Bertolt Brecht
Art by Otto Dix, 1923
Southern Sailor
Ain't Misbehavin' from Connie's Hot Chocolates
Music by Thomas 'Fats' Waller (1904-1943)
Text by Harry Brooks (1895-1970)
Art by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1909
Performer Bowing
INTERMISSION
ACT II
Poem Death Fugue 1945/48
Paul celan (1920-1970)
Art by Lovis Corinth, 1920
Tod und Künstler (Death and the Artist)
2. Hôtel from Banalitiés
Music by Fracis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Text by Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918)
Art by Wassily Kandinsky, 1928
Geteilt (Divided)
No. 2 On voit mourir from Six sonnets se Louïze Labé, Op. 34
Music by Viktor Ullman (1898-1944)
Text by Louïze Labé (d. 1566)
Art by Christian Schad, 1916
Interieur
1. Navždy from Navždy, Op.12
Music by Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915-1940)
Text by Jan Čarek (1898-1966)
Art by Georges Braque, 1960
Untitled from "La nuit la faim" (The Night, the Hunger)
Falling in love again from The Blue Angel
Fredrick Hollander (1896-1976)
Art by Heinrich Hoerle, 1920
Das Ephepaar (The Married Couple)
Truxa: Truxa-Fox
Leo Leux, Oskar Joost Dance Orchestra, Oskar Joost
Art by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1893
Miss Loïe Fuller
Ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen from Rückert-Lieder
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866)
Art by Lyonel Feininger, 1914
Street of Barns
First they came
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)
Art by Käthe Kollwitz, 1922
The Volunteers
September Song from Knickerbocker Holiday
Music by Kurt Weill
Text by Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959)
Art by Max Ernst, 1939
A Moment of Calm
MEET THE ARTISTS
GABRIELLE GILLIAM
SOPRANO | @gabrielle.soprano
Praised for her “beautifully resonant vocal quality” (Texas Classical), Dallas-based soprano Gabrielle Gilliam is a rising Texas star. Recently, Gabrielle was a top prize winner in the Lewisville Lake Symphony Vocal Competition, and performed in their winners' showcase this fall. Ms. Gilliam has sung with the Shreveport Opera, including the roles of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Mimì in La bohème, Frasquita in Carmen, and was a top prize winner in the Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition. In recent seasons, she joined The Dallas Opera to cover Sandrine/Mercedes in their highly anticipated production of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a new work by Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer. She also made her mainstage debut at The Dallas Opera as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly followed by The Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel. Gabrielle also sang Mimì in La bohème at Painted Sky Opera, and Violetta in La Traviata at Shreveport Opera.
As a Lesley Resident Artist, she was seen as Luisa in the world premiere production of Hector Armienta’s Zorro, and covered the role of Violetta in La Traviata with Fort Worth Opera. Gabrielle was also a district winner for the 2020-2021 Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, and was engaged in a number of virtual performances, including: a music video debut of Handel’s “Furie terribili” with Lumedia Musicworks, a virtual solo recital with The Dallas Opera’s TDO Network, virtual opera debut with American Baroque Opera Company’s production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, as well as a live solo recital with Fort Worth Opera. She was also featured soloist alongside Sasha Cooke, Deanna Breiwick, and Lucas Meachem in the orchestra workshop of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Having performed at The Dallas Opera, Forth Worth Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera North, Opera in Concert, and the Amalfi Coast Festival in Salerno, Italy, Gabrielle’s major role credits include Violetta in La Traviata, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd. As an Outreach Artist at The Dallas Opera, she performed the role of Bastienne in the touring production of W. A. Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienne, and Dorabella in The Bremen Town Musicians.
CRISTIAN GARCIA
PIANIST
Colombian pianist Cristian Garcia has cultivated a dynamic and versatile career as a pianist, chamber musician, vocal coach, and educator. His performances span numerous venues across Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and the United States.
Mr. Garcia has collaborated with a wide range of vocalists, instrumentalists, choirs, ensembles, and theater companies, including the Jaime Manzur Foundation and Arte Lírico in Bogotá, Inland Northwest Opera and Spokane Civic Theater in Washington, and Opera on Tap in Texas. He has also been invited as a collaborative pianist for educational programs at the Cartagena International Music Festival and as a guest artist for the Barranquilla International Chamber Music Festival and the Trombone, Euphonium, and Trumpet International Conference. In Barranquilla, he served as pianist and vocal coach for several Universidad del Norte Opera Workshop productions, where he also contributed to Spanish translations of multiple works.
Mr. Garcia holds a Music Education degree from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional in Bogotá and a Master's in Piano Performance from Eastern Washington University. Currently, he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas, pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Collaborative Piano Performance.
PORSCHE VELOUR
DANCER | @porsche_velour
Porsche Velour is a burlseque dancer and instructor in DFW. Dripping in charisma and velvet allure, Porsche Velour brings a decadent mix of classic tease and high-voltage choreography to the stage.
Since stepping into the burlesque spotlight in 2023, she’s been seducing audiences across the U.S. with her blues-soaked soundtrack, playful curves, and unapologetic charm. Equal parts sultry and electric, Porsche is the kind of performer who doesn’t just steal your gaze: she lingers in your memory long after the curtain falls.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Opera Arlington’s 2025–26 season is proudly underwritten in part by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation — Contributing to a Thriving Arlington.
THANK YOU!
This production would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. Thank you for being a part of our mission to empower artists and enrich our community through music! To become a part of the Opera Arlington family and join the movement for the arts in our city, please consider making a gift today.
FOUNDING PATRONS
Kara & Craig LidellJody MowLynda & Ignacio Núñez, MDThe Puccini Society of DallasTina & Ron SearsAnonymousGOLD PATRONS ($1,000+)
Kara & Craig LidellAnonymousHRH Prince AnthonyHRH Princess JenniferOn behalf of The Royal House of Savoy FoundationSILVER PATRONS ($500+)
The Puccini Society of DallasMarilyn HallaBRONZE PATRONS ($250+)
Mark & Lori CraigOnce Upon a Time... (in honor of Kate Jordan)The Giana Foundation FundGreater Arlington Lions Club
RUBY PATRONS ($100+)
Elinore & Ben Brown
Tom CapertonAndrea Gonzales
Kate JordanJanet Kelly
Teresa Korman
Vic MarriottCherise Reynolds-Sickles, in honor of Captain Michael Scott Sickles
Richard & Lori UrsoSally WilsonAnonymous
ADDITIONAL DONORS
Aaron Adair
Robert BrooksJadd Garcia
Mary Higbie
Bonita Keene
Lucy McGuiganSandra Reinhardt
Bonnie SaurDrew Weiner
Sean Wood
Anonymous
♡ RAISE THE CURTAIN
By supporting the arts through Opera Arlington, you're bringing more music to life in our community, and empowering emerging musicians through paid performance opportunities. Opera Arlington is a community-driven organization that relies on your support. Join hands with us to ignite a passion for the arts and culturally enrich our community in Arlington and DFW. Make a gift today and become a part of the Opera Arlington family.
Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by the law. Opera Arlington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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