UNION SPRINGS - The halls of the Frontenac Museum were ringing out with the sweet sounds of bells Sunday afternoon.

But these weren't the usual church bells; these were the sounds of the Union Springs Academy Handbell Choir.

The group of nine girls gathered to perform pieces ranging from “Southern Harmony” to “The Wind Beneath My Wings.”

“There is a lot of music developed specifically for this,” said Kathy Strickland, director of the choir. “We practice a lot and we do some performances at the different churches around that the girls come from. But this is the first time we got together to do a whole performance and whole program this year. We thought this would be a great opportunity to get out and play for people on such a nice afternoon.”

Handbell music requires a great deal of concentration, with the entire choir working together acting much like a piano or organ, with each of the girls ringing out their bells like a player might work the keys of a piano, forming chords and harmony and melody.

“They are like one organism,” Strickland said. “It is a team effort. It is like gymnastics or something along those lines. Everyone has to relate to each other and you have to pay attention to what is going on around you and what the person next to you is doing and you have to count like crazy.”

This intricacy and precision in performance grabs the audience's attention immediately.

“It is amazing to see,” said Pat Kimber, president of the Frontenac Historical Society. “It is so precise what they are doing and it is so beautiful to listen to.”

Many of the choir members are multi-instrumentalists, playing piano or singing in the school choir; this has helped provide a solid foundation for Strickland to build on.

“Every year we start with beginners,” Strickland said. “We always have new members joining and we lose a few seniors. We have a good mix of new and girls that have been here for a while and most of them play piano or take other instruments so they know how to read music. I think we have really developed and grown a lot this year.”

As the sounds of the bells rang through the museum's halls, many in the audience were transfixed by the lulling sounds the girls created.

“I really enjoy handbell music,” David Atkins said. “I like the sounds and the tonal qualities and I always take every opportunity I can to listen to this music whenever I can.”

Layna Moriera, a senior at the academy, has been a member of the choir for four years; she said that the chance to perform for so many people was a rewarding experience.

“I love it when people clap,” Moriera said. “It is a little scary to get up there, you have to be a really good counter and you have to watch really closely what 10 other people are doing and make sure you come in on the second beat of the third measure, but I think it went really well and it is nice to see so many people enjoy what we do.”

From the beginning to the end, many in the audience were impressed by the performance's quality.

“It was wonderful,” Fritizie Blizzard said. “I thought in here with the ceilings so high and everything it might not sound so good, but it just sounded wonderful. It was really good music and it was performed very well, it was beautiful.”