Classic quartet

Theo Hicks has worked at the arts center in his wife’s hometown.

He’s seen many shows there.

He’s even performed there before.

Thursday will mark his first time on stage at Arts Place with his Barbershop Harmony International Quartet Championship-winning group, Instant Classic, which will perform at 7 p.m. in Hall-Moser Theatre.

“It’s nice to be back,” said Hicks, a Michigan native whose wife Laura is a Jay County High School graduate and rural Portland native. “It’s nice to be there in her hometown.

“It’s just great. It’s kind of like just coming home to do a performance.”

Instant Classic (instantclassicquartet.com) is closing the 2024 Eric R. Rogers Performance Series that also featured cellist/vocalist Gabriel Royal and magician Jon Mobley. The group will bring the barbershop style to the stage with a variety of tunes from vocal jazz to musical theatre to pop to R&B.

One of the tunes it is known for is “You Gotta Change Parts,” a medley based on the tune “Heart” from the musical “Damn Yankees.”

“It’s just us being kind of dumb,” he said. “It’s really great.”

Another popular song that is on the set list for Thursday night — tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students and are available at myartsplace.org, by calling (260) 726-4809 or at Arts Place, 131 E. Walnut St., Portland — is the group’s rendition of Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” It also performs songs from popular musicals, Disney movies like “Toy Story” and artists including Billy Joel.

“One of the cool things about barbershop is it’s a uniquely American art form,” Hicks said. “So we sing a wide variety of music.

“It’s a lot of different genres, but in the barbershop style. That’s one of the unique things about the performance is that barbershop isn’t so much a performance as it’s a style. So you’ll hear a lot of different genres.”

Each of the members of the quartet developed a love for barbershop music at a young age and they came together when Hicks (lead vocals) was in college at Anderson University. He developed a friendship with Kyle Kitzmiller (bass) — he and his brother Kohl (baritone) were born into barbershop through their father, Scott — who had another friend in David Zimmerman (tenor). Kyle brought his friends and brother together just to sing for fun.

They joined Indianapolis barbershop chorus Circle City Sound and became part of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which has an international convention each year. Being the competitive sort, they started taking part in the Barbershop Harmony International Quartet Championship at the organization’s annual international convention each summer.

In 2015, they won.

“Since then we’ve just had the joy of performing all over the world,” said Hicks, a professor and director of choral activities at Anderson University. “We’ve just had a blast. What started as just four really good friends just singing … We won the contest and then all these other opportunities started popping up. It’s been really, really cool.”

Instant Classic has performed in almost all 50 states as well as Australia, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In the fall, the group made a visit to New Zealand. 

Hicks, Zimmerman and the Kitzmillers also opened for the NBC show “The Sing Off” during a live show in Indianapolis and has performed on “The Today Show.”

And while the group is still more of a hobby for the members — Zimmerman is a piano technician, Kyle Kitzmiller is a website designer and Kohl Kitzmiller works as an arranger, producer and sound engineer — it continues to fulfill them musically. It’s also built bonds beyond friendship, with a family atmosphere in which all of the guys serve as uncles’ to the others’ children, Hicks said.

“That’s been kind of the coolest thing of all is that we can make some great music with our family,” he added.

He’s hopeful that all who attend Thursday will come with family. (Refreshments will begin being served at 6 p.m.)

“It’s a family show,” said Hicks, who’ll be bringing daughter Nora along to visit with grandparents Pete and Lisa Vogler. “We want to encourage everybody to bring the whole family. It’s a show for everywhere from 9 months to 95. I think everyone’s going to have a little something in this performance. There’s something for everybody. If you want a good hour of fun music, some laughs, come on by. It’s going to be a good time.”