A discussion with Culturefest performer Sherry Martin

A new feature at this year’s Culturefest, which starts at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday in the Truhlsen Campus Events Center in the Sorrell Center, will be cultural performances and presentations by UNMC employees and students.

Among those who will take the stage is Sherry Martin, office associate in the department of epidemiology, who will perform German folk songs and dances while she is backed on guitar by Risto Rautiainen, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health.

Below Martin, who lived in Stetten am Heuchelberg, Germany, for several years, talks with UNMC Today about her culture and Thursday’s performance.

Sherry Martin

What aspect of your culture will you share with the campus on Thursday?

I will sing “Muss I’ Denn,” a folk song first created in 1827 but made popular by Elvis Presley when he sang it in the movie, “GI Blues.” I also will sing, “Liebes Kummer Lohnt Sich Nicht Mein Dahling” a No. 1 hit by Siw Malmkvist, which was first performed in 1964. I will wear a traditional German dress called a “Dirndl” while I sing.

What do you want people to know about your presentation and about your culture?

I chose these two songs to give everyone a sample of the type of folk and pop music one may expect to hear at a “strassenfest” or street party. … The most popular American songs at German street parties are John Denver’s “Country Roads” and Janice Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.” Germans love music and they love to sing.

What does your culture mean to you?

I have found the German people to be hardworking and they also play hard as evidenced by the many different “fests” they celebrate to relieve the monotony of work. When I remember my German family, I think of lots of good food, dancing, singing, joy and laughter.