A Kurt Weill Cabaret: From Berlin to Broadway

Christina Martos and Kristin Ditlow return to Unit B for an encore performance of “A Kurt Weill Cabaret: From Berlin to Broadway.” Kurt Weill’s (1900-1950) life and music were a captivating fusion of high art and popular culture, laced with sharp social commentary. He uniquely bridged European and American musical worlds, drawing inspiration from cabaret, jazz, and Broadway. This performance chronicles his remarkable career, beginning in the vibrant, yet edgy, cabarets of 1920s Berlin, where his classical training met a passion for subversive culture. Forced to flee Nazi Germany in 1933, his music banned and labeled “degenerate”, he spent a brief but influential period in Paris, adapting dramatic salon styles for the stage. His final chapter unfolded in New York in 1935, where he embraced American musical idioms, forging a distinctive synthesis that conquered Broadway. Join us for a journey through his most celebrated repertoire, including “Surabaya Johnny”, “Je ne t’aime pas”, “Speak Low”, ”Lost in the Stars”, “My Ship”, “The Saga of Jenny”, and the iconic “Mack the Knife”, all performed in their original languages by the exceptional talents of vocalist Christina Martos and pianist Kristin Ditlow. Christina Martos Born an Army brat, Christina Martos proudly considers New Jersey her home state. As a multidisciplinary performer, she brings a rich flair to the stage that is deeply flavored by her Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Argentine roots. Since making New Mexico her home in 2008, she has enjoyed participating in New Mexico’s vibrant arts scene, though her storytelling journey has taken her from the hallowed halls of Yale and Carnegie Mellon to some of the most prestigious stages in the country. With a versatility that moves effortlessly between the drama of the opera house and the intimacy of jazz and musical theater, Christina appeared on the stages of the Washington National Opera ( L'elisir D'amore , Gianni Schicchi , and Jenufa ) and took on the poignant title role of Annina in Menotti's The Saint of Bleecker Street at Central City Opera . Whether she is playing the Nurse in New Canon Theater Company 's Romeo & Juliet (Carmel, CA) or exploring contemporary stories in Sunday in the Park with George , Cebollas , and Laughs in Spanish at the Santa Fe Playhouse , Christina finds the heartbeat of every character she inhabits. Her concert career includes appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra , Miami's New World Symphony , and the Marilyn Horne Foundation Festival at Carnegie Hall. Closer to home, she has performed with Opera Southwest ( Doña Clementina, Dolores, The Farolitos of Christmas ), the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs in Colorado Springs, and Albuquerque's Chatter series. From performing Beethoven with the Yale Philarmonic and American Youth Symphony to the intimate stage at Unit B , Christina invites you to lean in and share in the magic of a story well told. Kristin Ditlow Pianist, conductor and coach Kristin Ditlow is enjoying a performance and teaching career throughout the United States and abroad. She has appeared in concerts throughout North America, mainland China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  Her solo debut piano CD, Passages, has received national accolades. Harry Musselwhite of the Rome News-Tribune wrote that “the recording … is sonically breathtaking and her playing ranges from intimate pianistic thoughts to thundering room-shaking outbursts. She is a consummate interpreter.” In a review by musicologist Ralph Locke, Boston’s The Arts Fuse remarks, “ I have played this album repeatedly for weeks … [the performances] are deeply affectionate: I sometimes felt I could hear Ditlow thinking about the (silent) words, noticing a surprising modulation, or responding to the tension-and-release within a musical phrase.”  Travel, wonder and exploration are greatly important to this artist – and her playing reflects it. Critics have hailed her performances as “fiery, with great thrusts of energy” (Bethlehem Morning Call ), and containing a “burnished color and sense of passion” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer ). Her foundational training has been as a classical pianist. Yet, she has branched out into conducting, artist teaching, arranging, improvising and composing. Her love of musical collaborations dovetails into her solo performances, and her virtuoso technique and musicianship inform her presence at the keyboard and on the podium. Ditlow holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Westminster Choir College, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music, with further training at the Tanglewood Music Center, San Francisco Opera Center (Merola), and the Franz Schubert Institut. She holds the titles of Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching at the University of New Mexico and Music Director of the University of New Mexico Opera Theatre. Dinner and cocktails starting at 5:30 pm. Showtime is 7:00 pm. Reservations highly recommended.