The Tryon Concert Association has announced that the Calmus Ensemble Leipzig will perform at the Tryon Fine Arts Center on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. The concert is part of the Tryon Concert Association’s 2012-13 series of performances. Calmus originally consisted of former members of the St. Thomas Boy’s Choir, who formed a quintet in the late 90s. After several years of performance, they were looking for a more flexible repertoire, but something was missing: the female touch in the upper register. So they searched and soon found Anja Lipfert. Since 2001 she has crowned the ensemble’s sound with her bright soprano voice, cultivated in her years in the children’s choir of the Middle German State Radio Network. As they expanded the breadth of their range, the repertoire of the Calmus Ensemble was also expanded to include music of the Gregorian period, of Machaut, Palestrina, Bach, Verdi or contemporary sacred music, as well as the great variety of music extending from madrigals to folksongs or rock. Not limiting themselves to traditional repertoire, they perform their own arrangements as well as commissioned works. Apart from a cappella music, they take active interest in breaking down barriers in the periods from the Baroque to experimental jazz. An active concert schedule has already led the ensemble to all parts of Germany, as well as to Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Finland, Austria, Spain, Portugal and North and South America. The ensemble has also participated in renowned music festivals such as the Bach-Festival Leipzig, the International a Cappella Week in Hannover and the Schleswig-Holstein-Music Festival, where they gave a final polishing to their sound in the master class of the King’s Singers. To hear and see examples of Calmus’ work, please go to: www.youtube.com and search for Calmus. Please be aware, most videos will be in German. For ticket information, call 828-859-6065 or write to the Tryon Concert Association, P.O. Box 32, Tryon, N.C. 28782. – article submitted by Kevin Brode