NATCHEZ — Resounding vocal harmonies combined with precisely slammed ebony and ivory keys produced romantic melodies that echoed off the walls of Trinity Episcopal Church Monday evening.

The Romantic Music of Natchez features four vocalists and one pianist from across the country performing musical numbers that tell the history of Natchez — starting with the songs of the French, English and Spanish settlers up to the reconstruction after the Civil War.

Presented by the Natchez Festival of Music and under the direction of Jay Dean, the musical program offers some evening entertainment for Spring Pilgrimage visitors and locals to enjoy.

The program evolved from previous years being labeled “Songs of the South” and last year as “Songs of the Civil War” to something that would tell a complete musical history of Natchez, coordinator Rena Jean Schmieg said.

“We wanted to emphasize the history of the area and the importance of music to everyone who had ever lived here,” Schmieg said. “It’s an amazing amount of research that’s gone in to this program.”

Musical director and pianist Jonathan Levin said narrowing down the songs to include in the program was no easy feat.

“This year we had the Romantic Music of Natchez, which could really be a lot things, so I wanted to try and represent as many different things that constitute what Natchez is and the history behind it,” Levin said. “We have a different take on some of the songs, but they’re all still very effective in telling the story.”

Levin, who has participated in the Natchez Festival of Music programs for thee years, joined a cast of both Natchez veterans and newcomers for this year’s program.

Hart Gilula, a baritone from Los Angeles, and Emily Lockhart, a soprano from Dallas, said they did plenty of research on Natchez before coming, but nothing could prepare them for actually seeing the historic sights.

“Honestly, its more beautiful than I could have ever imagined,” Lockhart said. “And I had already heard from everyone that it was breathtaking.”

On his first trip to the South, Gilula said he made sure to map out all the restaurants with true Southern cuisine, but those quickly took backseat to some of the houses on the pilgrimage tours.

“I really wanted some true Southern cooking, and I’ve been able to get that both in restaurants and through the hospitality of the wonderful guild members here,” Gilula said. “I was also just struck by both the lush natural beauty of the area, but also the incredible architectural heritage among the homes that have been so well preserved.”

Tyrone Chambers, a tenor from New Orleans, and Hilerie Klein-Rensi, a mezzo-soprano from Pittsburg, have both performed in Natchez productions for several years, but say they always find something new to appreciate in the Miss-Lou.

“I have seen the program though a few turnovers, but the consistency has always been the kindness of the people here and how they take you in like family,” Klein-Rensi said. “The hardest thing is actually sitting down to practice, because you want to be out socializing with all these nice people you’ve met.”

While the artists are familiar with some of the music from all the different time periods, Chambers said selecting the songs for the program was a group effort.

“We had a big e-mail conversation and just figured out what everyone knew and what everyone could contribute to the program,” Chambers said. “The genre of music is not new to us because the majority of the material falls within the realm of what we all studied, but the whole program was new music that we all learned right before we got here.”

The performers took to the stage for the first time Sunday, and on the second performance Monday evening, a dozen tourists and local residents lined the aisles of Trinity Episcopal Church to hear the program.

Pat and Judy Hamilton of Dallas were among a group of tourists who attended the show and said they were glad they attended on their last night in Natchez.

“We came for the Spring Pilgrimage and saw this advertised, so we figured we’d come and see what it was all about,” Judy said. “We’re really glad we caught this show before we left.”

The Romantic Music of Natchez is performed nightly at 8 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church and continues through Saturday.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the visitor’s center.