Clef Hangers reflect on presidential year

When Robert DeGolian envisioned his first year at UNC, he didn't expect it would include meeting not one, but two, presidents. 

“I’d always loved singing, but it was more of a hobby than anything else," he said. "I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, I kind of struggled figuring out what I wanted to do — at one point, I was even thinking about walking onto baseball team."

That's when the Clef Hangers, who had seen some of DeGolian's high school singing videos, approached him about trying out for the group. 

"I tried out and went with it, and it’s the best decision I’ve made here," he said. "I’ve had the chance to do some incredible things and I’m super happy I ended up making the decision I did."

One of those incredible things was getting the chance to meet President Barack Obama when the group was invited to sing at the White House last winter. 

“It was very exciting," said Taylor Euliss, the Clef's music director. "It was a lot of luck, and coincidence, and good planning and a clear schedule at that time.”  

While the trip to Washington may have relied on luck and coincidence, the performance preparation had anything but. DeGolian said the group was given a handler to give them strict regulations, like making sure their song, a rendition of James Bay's "Let it Go," was exactly 60 seconds. 

But these strict instructions led to the tense environment disappeared when the president walked in.

"We were all kinda like pinched, didn’t know what to expect and he came in really loose and was like how were the Tar Heels doing — just really engaged in conversation," DeGolian said. "It was kinda cool, he was a very normal guy."

Senior Christine Szeto said she thought the Clef Hangers singing for Obama was not only great for the a cappella group, but for the whole school. 

"I feel like that sort of recognition by the president for our school is huge for us," she said.

DeGolian described meeting a president in December as an experience he never thought he would be able to do. Then he did it again a few months later. 

For their annual spring break trip, the Clefs went to Sweden and Iceland, and sang for the latter's Reykjavik International School. 

“We got to sing there and have an instructional program for the kids, and as a byproduct of that, the headmaster decided she wanted to get in contact with the president of Iceland – which is insane," Euliss said.

The headmaster approached them about singing for the president at ten that morning. By seven P.M., Euliss and the Clefs found themselves in the president's mansion singing for their president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.  

“We got to talk about America for a little bit and our political situation, and he gave us some advice, complimented our singing and then he gave us a tour of his house," he said. "It was an an incredible experience.”

Despite having a major year —and graduating four seniors —, the group members don't plan to rest on their laurels.

The will continue to work on their album over the next year — which comes out in Spring 2017 — and have already added two incoming first years to the group. 

"There are definitely holes to fill," DeGolian said.

"But we all know the level we need to come back and live up to. I’m really excited for the next year and so excited to come back." 

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