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Show AggieLife Monday, March 21, 2011 Page 7 USU to host German group of a capella singers By ALLEE EVENSEN staff writer When fans ask Ludwig Bohme what Calmus means, he laughs a little. Often they expect a deep historical reference or some type of symbolism, he said. "It was the initials of the founding members. And I think it's the root of a plant," he said. Bohme is one-fifth of the Calmus Vocal Ensemble, which will perform Tuesday, March 22 in Logan. After flying 5,300 miles from their hometown of Leipzig, Germany, the quintet will use their voices to share a combination of classical repertoire, folk songs and a little pop music. When Craig Jessop, head of the music department and dean of Caine College of the Arts, received a call from the Ensemble's manager last year asking if Utah State would like to be a stop on the group's first-ever West Coast tour, he didn't hesitate. "I said absolutely," he said. "This is the only professional vocal ensemble that is totally a cappella. They're exceptional." Sebastian Krause, the group's countertenor, said singing in the United States is almost like starting over. The group has a large fan base in Europe, but is almost unknown in the U.S., especially on the West Coast. He said they tailor their music when they perform in the states so they can show variety while still representing their culture. "We enjoy (being) here in the United States because the audience is very open-minded," Krause said. "The German people are not so lively after the concert." Both Krause and Bohme, the group's baritone, started singing with the St. Thomas Boy's Choir at young ages. Even after he graduated from the choir, Bohme never saw vocal music as anything more than a hobby. When the Calmus Ensemble was born, he said it was mostly just four guys singing at birthday parties. "Young people's lives are not clear," Bohme said. "We have experienced it from the beginning on." Bohme described the first concert as a hit, and the first time he saw the ensemble as having the potential to become career. However, they were still missing a piece of the puzzle. That piece was found with the arrival of soprano Anja Lipferti in 2001. "She changed the sound of the group dramatically. It's getting better and better," Bohme said. The Calmus Vocal Ensemble specializes in a unique mixture of early and contemporary repertoire. Jessop said their music is an unbroken German tradition of hundreds of years, with roots in men like Johann Sebastian Bach, who also originated from Leipzig. Bohme said the Bach is a sacred figure to Germans, one that they take inspiration from. His music is often written for voices; a good fit for the ensemble. Calmus also focuses on renaissance pieces and contemporary music specially commissioned for them. "In the 15th century they loved singing drinking songs, we sing those," Bohme said. "We sing from other periods as well. Our concerts usually end with pop or folk songs." When Jessop first saw Calmus preform a few years ago, he said he was taken back by the variety of the group. He said the group was reminiscent of the King's Singers, a world famous vocal ensemble, but their young ages made them unique, one of the reasons they are performing on a college campus. "They have a different timbre, an international flare," Jessop said. "What I saw was a diverse repertoire from the middle ages to contemporary music. It's a great perspective." In the future, Krause envisions larger concerts, bigger venues and steady growth. The group already preforms 70 times a year, flying back and forth from Europe to the United States. If anything, said Krause, they'd be happy to simply continue what they've been doing. THE CALMUS ENSEMBLE hails from Leipzig, Germany, where the five members merged to form their a cappella singing group. They blend classical and contemporary music to create a unique sound. photo courtesy CALMUS ENSEMBLE "We hope everything goes like it has for the past few years. We want to have more concerts and better fees. That's what I wish for," Krause said. Jessop said this performance is a one-of-a-kind show, and an opportunity for Utah State to open itself to another culture. "It should be a fantastic night, musically and culturally," he said. The Calmus Ensamble will preform Tuesday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Performance Hall. General admission is $8, or free with a student ID. — allee.evensen@aggiemail.usu.edu Drowsy: Pull over at the first sign Janitor: Getting to know the people continued from page 5 continued from page 5 one." Years ago, he said, he was driving with his wife Cathy and baby daughter around Christmas time. His wife and daughter had both fallen asleep and he felt himself getting tired. He said the next thing he knew, he had over-corrected and was headed into oncoming traffic, sending the car into a spin before they finally straightened out. "I tapped the break and it turned me around," he said. "At this point, Cathy was awake. I finally got the car in control and on the side of the road." "I realized if I had killed my wife or my baby, I would never be able to forgive myself," Bush said. "Ever since then, whenever I get sleepy, I pull over because you just never know, it happens so fast." According to drowsydriving.org, sleepiness has similar effects to alcohol consumption. "Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing," the site reads. Several states are proposing legislation to charge drowsy drivers with criminal negligence. Danny Munoz, a junior in political science, is more grateful about life after his near-fatal drowsy driving accident. He said as he neared his exit on a Saturday morning around 1:45 a.m., he began to doze off and was about to pull off to the side of the road. "I just remember waking up mid-roll right before the front (of my car) smashed into a tree," Munoz said. He was the only one in the car and incurred no serious injuries. "My seat belt saved my life," he said. He said he advises against driving drowsy. "Remember the buddy system was made for a reason," he said. Lyndi Jenson, a junior in business administration, also experienced a close call. She said she was busy at the time, working two jobs and going to school. She said her second job was in Layton and she commuted back and forth from Logan every Sunday. She said on her way to work on a Sunday morning, after a late night, she turned up her music and sang loudly to keep herself awake. "My eyes were probably only closed for 10 seconds, but I opened them right as I was drifting into a truck in the next lane," she said. "When I got to work, I put in my two weeks." Jensen said she made this sacrifice because it was not worth it to drive drowsy every week. Rachel Mertlich, a sophomore in elementary education, realized she could have caused an accident after driving fatigued. She said she felt like she was asleep and woke up when she got home. "I do not remember anything but getting in my car and then pulling up to my driveway," she said. "I was real scared afterward when I realized I could have died or hit someone. I was thinking I should have pulled over." According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of adult drivers have driven while feeling drowsy and 37 percent have actually fallen asleep while driving in the past year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimated 100,000 drowsy drivingrelated crashes occur each year, leading to 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in financial losses. But these numbers could be just "the tip of the iceberg," according to drowsydriving. org. The site attributes these conservative estimations to the difficulty in attributing crashes to sleepiness —there is no breathalyzer for exhaustion. The National Sleep Foundation provides suggested steps to avoid accidents. Before hitting the road, the site recommends getting adequate sleep, scheduling proper breaks (about every 100 miles or every two hours), arranging for a travel companion and avoiding alcohol and sedating medications. If these precautions are taken and the driver still feels drowsy, the foundation says to stop driving, take a nap, drink a caffeinated beverage and to be aware of rumble strips. Rumble strips were first used in 1952 on the New Jersey Turnpike. These deep grooves on high-speed roads were made to "alert drowsy drivers and prevent them from veering off the roadway," according to the National Sleep Foundation site. These strips "have proven to be one of the most effective measures in decreasing drowsy driving," the site states. The foundation recommends drowsy drivers who recognize their symptoms should find a safe place to pull over to prevent future accidents. — natashabodily@aggiemad. usu.edu Larsen and Arbon banter back-and-forth, joking about names for what they do. "You're going to be a facilities technician," Larsen said to Arbon. Arbon has been working as a janitor for about three months, but doesn't necessarily agree that the students are the best part of his job. "Our jobs are not that glamorous, but I really like vacuuming," he said, smiling to let Larsen in on the joke. But really, I don't mind it at all. We get to talk to a lot of people, and that's great." The janitors have the same basic jobs each day, which one janitor, Don Rindlisbacher, said can be monotonous. "It's mundane, but it's got to be done, and it's a fun place to work," he said. Each day, aside from the jobs the janitors do every day, there's also what's called a detail. "Detail just means we clean something extra, like mopping the floor mats in the offices, or cleaning all the nooks and crannies in the bathrooms," Larsen said. Not all the janitors are students at USU, as Larsen and Rindlisbacher can attest to. Larsen is a USU alumnus, as is Rindlisbacher. Larsen lives with his wife, and both have stayed in Logan because her family is in North Logan, he said. Rindlisbacher has a wife and children and works two jobs. Rindlisbacher said he has worked in other places before, such as the Logan Regional Hospital, but he said he needed a change, so when a janitorial job opened at USU, he took it. He is now one of four full-time night janitors in the TSC. Over the four years Rindlisbacher has worked in the TSC, he said he's gotten to know a lot of the student leaders, which is always the highlight for him. "We may not be on a first-name basis, but we know each other, and I've really liked seeing them around," he said. Larsen said knowing the people whose offices he and Arbon clean helps them with their job. "When students know you, they're a lot more likely to clean up after themselves, to help you out," he said. The janitors don't only clean the TSC, though. They often help set up for events, which they said helps to alleviate some of the boredom they can get from the routine. "We got to help set up with Mardi Gras, and tear down and stuff like that," Arbon said. "It was really cool to be able to do that." Rindlisbacher has also been helping with mechanical maintenance. "I've been helping tear apart machines; helping with the maintenance side of things, not just cleaning," he said. "It's nice to be able to do both." The janitors have had some odd experiences while working at USU, and Rindlisbacher said he saw two guys about to get into a fight in the Aggie Terrace one night when he got off work. "There were these guys, and they were standing nose to nose," he said. "I was parked right behind them, so as I pulled out I just told them they didn't want to do this, and they should stop. They separated after that." Larsen said it can be a little weird here in the TSC late at night, and he's sometimes scared himself. "Sometimes when it's really late and nobody's around, you catch a glance of yourself moving, and that's kinda weird," he said. "And the TSC is an old building, so it makes some weird noises." The janitors may not have a glamorous job, but Arbon said that's not the point. "It's about the students, they really make the job worth it," he said. ROMANC [I] T„ //old (67ket/oi? 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