Incredible charisma and energy! A truly multi-talented performer—fun, captivating, and unforgettable! - Show sponsor Bill Kaminer
This is the last show in the retro series celebrating the 100th birthday of the Simon Theatre. Gunhild Carling is known as the Queen of Swing, Jazz and Vaudeville.
This amazing star is the epitome of joy as a dazzling singer, dancer, juggler, and multi-instrumental genius. In 2023 she thrilled our audience so much that we got numerous requests to bring her back.
Part musical extravaganza, part Vaudevillian spectacle, Carling’s live performance is guaranteed to be one of the most feel-good, toe-tapping, exhilarating shows you’ll ever see!
With New Orleans Jazz and Big Band Swing as her foundation, Carling’s style takes you back to the era of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. Some of her vintage songs are Minnie the Moocher, Sweet Georgia Brown, All of Me, It Had to Be You – all within a larger repertoire of old favorites.
She is a TV celebrity in Sweden, starring in Allsang Pa Skansen, Let’s Dance (Dancing With The Stars, Sweden), Fangarna pa Fortet (Fear Factory), Sa Skall Det Lata (Songwriter’s Board), America’s Got Talent, and ABC News.
In 2014 she performed at the Royal Palace in Stockholm with her “Carling Big Band” for the celebration of King Carl XVI Gustaf's Ruby Jubilee. She returned to the Palace In 2016 to perform at the King’s 70th birthday celebration.
In total, Carling has released eleven albums starting in 1985 with her debut, “I’ve Lost My Heart In Dixieland.” Some albums were recorded with orchestras and some with her Big Band.
From 2006 – 2016 Carling managed and starred in the annual Stockamollan Swing & Jazz Festival in her hometown Stockamollan, with artists from all over the world.
Carling has won multiple accolades and awards, mostly in Europe.
What People Are Saying
I’ve seen many great Barnhill Center shows, but Gunhild outshines them all! - Anonymous patron
Gunhild Carling is one of the most important musicians and ambassadors for the arts in the world today. She is recognized globally for her outstanding musicianship as a singer, entertainer and multi-instrumentalist. - Scotty Barnhart, Director, Count Basie Orchestra
I have worked all over the world with stars like Liza Minnelli and Tony Bennett, among others, and can honestly say that Gunhild captivates an audience in a way I’ve never seen before. - Billy Stritch, pianist, singer in New York
Built-in 1925, in the grand architectural style of Beaux-Arts Classical Revival, the Simon Theatre provided a splendid setting for many theatrical performances, film screenings and ballroom dances. The James Simon family commissioned Houston architect Alfred C. Finn, whose career included designing a number of prominent Houston buildings as well as the San Jacinto Monument, to design the theatre for the community of Brenham. Today, after a meticulous million-plus dollar renovation, the glamour and grand style lives on for future generations in the newly named Barnhill Center at Historic Simon Theatre.
