In the spring of 2007, BGSU graduate students Matthew Young and Andrew Schultz envisioned a new type of musical ensemble for BGSU, and with the blessing of the Men's Chorus director, Dr. William Skoog, they co-founded the group now known as the HeeBeeBGs. The current director of the BGSU Men’s Chorus is Prof. Tim Cloeter.
Matt and Andrew auditioned Men's Chorus members for this new group, knowing that they needed to be able and willing to take on the many challenges entailed in starting a men's a cappella group. A dedication to rehearse for multiple hours a week and the ability to perform a variety of songs in multiple genres was essential. The new group found success the first spring semester in performing during Men's Chorus concerts, as well as with the Collegiate Chorale. In addition, they performed a few mini-concerts for sororities and other student groups, they did a short set during BGSU's Dance Marathon, and sang the alma mater for a number of BGSU sporting events. Churches and local high schools also enjoyed the wide variety of music that the group performed during their first semester of existence.
The group had numerous brainstorming sessions this first semester, to try and find a name for themselves; after much debate (and more than a few ridiculous ideas!), Andrew suggested the name "HeeBeeBGs", and the mixture of humor and school spirit resonated with the members. Newly christened, the group's first semester culminated with their final performance, their solo debut concert in Jenson Hall. The concert showcased eleven of Matt Young's arrangements, and firmly planted the group in the heart and mind of the BGSU campus.
In Fall 2007, the group officially became a recognized student organization, and added a new advisor, Dr. Joseph Oravecz, the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for BGSU. Dr. Oravecz's knowledge, passion, and leadership for music and a cappella singing have helped guide the group in refine their vision, direction, and sound. He attends rehearsals to provide feedback, meets with members to provide academic advice and guidance, and continuously assists the officers in finding new ways to take the group to the next level of showmanship and professionalism.
Over the course of the 2007-2008 academic year, the group continued to increase their exposure on- and off-campus, performing at numerous events similar to those from the previous year, but they also expanded their coverage whenever they could. Matt and Andrew worked hard to publicize the group, and as word got out about a new pop a cappella group on campus, amazing opportunities seemed to spring up everywhere.
The campus hosted the fantastic professional swing a cappella group Chapter 6, and the HeeBeeBGs were honored to open for them. As the year progressed and opportunities continued to open up, the group worked hard to do as many performances as they could manage, while not interfering with their classes! This year saw the first HeeBeeBGs solo tour over spring break, when the group went on a 5 day tour across Ohio. The Spring semester also saw Matt Young graduate from BGSU with his Masters in Music Theory; he has continued to arrange music for the HeeBeeBGs as he works on his doctorate at the University of Texas.
Andrew Schultz continued to direct the group through the 2008-2009 school year, working towards graduating with his Masters Degrees in Choral Conducting and Business Administration in the Spring of 2009. This year was an important one for the group, as it was our first trip into "competitive" a cappella singing. The HeeBeeBGs made it to the quarter-finals of the ICCA, the International Championships of College A Cappella. We went to the competition with our 3-song set, consisting of "Lady" by Styx, "Never There" by Cake, and "It's Oh So Quiet" by Bjork. The group received high marks from the judges, and placed 4th in the competition (only 1 point away from finishing in the top 3), and receiving the award for Best Choreography. Not too bad for our first time at competition!
Spring semester 2009 ended with the group's traditional year-end concert, this time held in Bryan Recital Hall, in the BGSU College of Musical Arts. The group decided it was important to give back to the community, and they made the event charitable. It was decided the cost of admission would be donations of non-perishable food items. The recital hall was standing-room only, and the tremendous quantities of donated food were transported to a charitable local food pantry. It was a great way for the group to finally give something back.
When it came time for the 2009-2010 school year to begin, the group's future was in question. With both founders now graduated, and a large number of original members graduating, a void was left in the leadership of the group. The time was ripe for a new director to boldly step up to the plate, and BGSU graduate choral conducting student Chris Clark was the man for the job. Chris took charge, and began directing the HeeBeeBGs during this very transitional time.
Chris has boldly stepped in to the director's role, grabbed the reins with both hands, and has steered the group to new levels of musical excellence. Under his leadership the group rose to the challenge of performing a well received 45-minute set at the 2009 Black Swamp Arts Festival, after only being able to rehearse for 3 weeks! Auditions followed for new members who were anxious to join the group, and after the final callbacks, 6 new members (4 of them freshmen!) were accepted into the group.
Since its inception, the group has continued to grow in both popularity and musical excellence. All of the HeeBeeBGs, both young and old, past and present, consistently strive to bring the highest levels of talent and dedication the group, and have helped to continue the new tradition of providing audiences with a superb quality of music and outstanding entertainment.