More than songs fill the room when choristers with the Amos Polk Voices of Hope begin to sing.

The room comes alive with rhythmic movement, inviting all who are there to clap and sway along with the gospel, spiritual and praise music the choir performs.

At the Carriage House Restaurant, the Voices of Hope engage the crowd, invite their participation and welcome them with hospitable voices both sung and spoken.

At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday during Fall Pilgrimage, the 30 singers don their robes and entertain visitors, who first dine on Southern specialties at the restaurant located on the grounds of Stanton Hall.

&8220;We know it&8217;s not a church, but we still get excited,&8221; said Doris Polk, widow of Amos Polk, the renowned musician who formed the choir. &8220;We can sing to any audience.&8221;

Willie Minor, one of the soloists, has been with the group, as most of its members have, since it began in 1983.

&8220;We sing for the glory of God,&8221; Minor said. &8220;When you see how the audience reacts, the enjoyment they get from it, that&8217;s the blessing for us.&8221;

Minor said he knows some people truly are touched during the concert. &8220;One group of people told me after we sang that they had not been going to church much back home but now they were going to go home and attend church.&8221;

Doris Polk said her husband would be pleased that the group has continued in his name. He died in 1995. &8220;It&8217;s a bond for us. We still carry on, and he would be happy. He&8217;s probably singing his way around heaven.&8221;

Betty Minor is narrator between numbers. &8220;Welcome to Natchez and to the Carriage House,&8221; she said to the group gathered there Tuesday.

&8220;Our accompanist is Tony Gordon, a renowned pianist in his own right.&8221; Gordon is a well-known music instructor at Alcorn State University.

&8220;We want to know where you are from,&8221; Minor continued.

&8220;Where do you live,&8221; she asked, as she pointed to various tables. Voices called out, &8220;Illinois,&8221; &8220;Alabama,&8221;

&8220;Kentucky,&8221; &8220;Texas,&8221; &8220;Wisconsin,&8221; &8220;Louisiana&8221; and more.

One of the most impressive things about the choir is the manner in which they engage the audience, said Jim Coy, manager of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, the organization that sponsors Fall Pilgrimage.

&8220;The reaction is always good,&8221; Coy said. &8220;These are professionals, and they are experienced at slowly bringing the audience up, getting them talking.&8221;

Minor continues the conversation with the audience. &8220;It&8217;s good to have you in Natchez, the oldest city on the Mississippi.&8221;

Bonnie Woodward, manager of the restaurant, said she has watched the Voices of Hope perform during Fall Pilgrimage for years. &8220;I always stand at the door. As people go out, they want to talk to the performers,&8221; she said. &8220;Each one of them wants to tell Tony (Gordon, accompanist) how much they enjoyed his music.&8221;

Tickets for the evening entertainment are $31 per person, including the Southern-style dinner, which begins at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets for all Pilgrimage events are available at the Natchez Pilgrimage Tours ticket desk at the Visitor Reception Center, 640 S. Canal St.

Coy said he is urging people in the Miss-Lou area to take advantage of the opportunity to hear the Voices of Hope in the Carriage House setting.

&8220;It&8217;s a very enjoyable evening,&8221; he said.

Fall Pilgrimage began Sept. 30 and continues through Oct. 14.