Voices of the South set to perform Christmas show at the Lyric Theatre

The barbershop chorus that calls Vestavia Hills home will be taking its annual Christmas performance to a new venue this year: the Lyric Theatre in downtown Birmingham.

This year’s show will be the 17th annual event for Voices of the South, the men’s barbershop group that rehearses at St. Marks United Methodist Church.

The Lyric originally opened in 1914 but was closed for many years, reopening this year after an extensive renovation.

Chorus director Matt Powell said he thinks combining the group’s historic style with the historic venue will be a fitting tribute to the Lyric’s stage, which would have seen a cappella performances in its early days.

“As a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, we already like to think that we are preserving a bit of musical history that seems to be dying in these modern times,” Powell said. “What better way to revive a bit of history than to perform on the very stage that this style of music thrived on 100 years ago?”

The performance will be predominantly Christmas themed, with the song list including favorites such as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “White Christmas,” but the group will perform other barbershop classics as well, such as “The Tennessee Waltz” and a Temptations tribute.

In addition to the Christmas favorites, barbershop classics and patriotic tunes, chorus president Ed Wharton said the group also will perform a unique telling of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke.

The concert is Dec. 17 at 7 p.m., and tickets are $15-$35.

The Lyric Theatre is at 1800 Third Ave. N. in downtown Birmingham.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to lyricbam.com/events.