Friday's MusicFest at the Burgdorff Cultural Center featured Columbia High School student singers and bands performing music ranging from Doo Wop to Progressive Rock and Acoustic Jazz.  Each group was polished to the point it was hard to believe they were high school acts. 

Erica Philpot’s moving vocal solos were both soulful and spirit-lifting, and brought forth gasps of astonishment from the audience. Zoe Madonna showed not only great technical proficiency on the piano but a shocking vocal ability.  The scarcely 5-foot-tall Zoe widened eyes and dropped jaws when she belted out lyrics at top volume, and Big Rock Candy Mountain’s grand finale rendition of "Psycho Killer" seemed to take the audience by surprise.

Short Line’s heart warming soft-rock cover of rapper Snoop Dogg’s hit "Sexual Seduction" was another standout among an evening of great performances. And anyone who wants to relive parts of the show note: as vocalist Seth Wolin said from the stage, Short Line's music is available for purchase on iTunes.

“There are so many opportunities in Maplewood for adult performers, but so few for kids and none at the Burgdorff,” MusicFest organizer Tricia Tunstall said. “I want to change that, all of these kids are so good and serious and so many parents are artists and performers so they understand the need to perform.”