DOZENS OF CHRISTIAN MUSIC ACTS TURN OUT FOR WEEKEND COMPETITION

The Perry family of Cape Girardeau, from left, Candice, Robert and Christina, performed the gospel song, "Send it on Down" at Bavarian Halle at Fruitland Saturday.

FRUITLAND -- Christian Ebner wants to know if a music career should be the path he chooses for his life.

Nineteen-year-old Sheri LaFontaine is hoping to land a recording deal.

Randy Beebe isn't sure that he is ready for all the music industry has to offer, but it might be worth the shot. Beebe sings as part of a quartet called Fixed Heart from Poplar Bluff.

Ebner, LaFontaine and Beebe entered the Heartland Homecoming Talent Search contest Saturday at Bavarian Halle to find out how their music performances rate with professionals in the business.

Nearly 80 acts, both groups and soloists, performed at the daylong talent contest. Nearly 2,500 people attended throughout the day to listen to the performances and to see a Southern gospel concert later in the night.

Ebner traveled to Southeast Missouri from Burbank, Calif., where he works for a financial company. He is searching for some direction in his career and hoped to find it at the talent search.

"I'm trying to find where God will lead me, and if that's music," said Ebner, 27.

Ebner likes to sing jazz, big-band and gospel music. He sang a Southern gospel tune in the preliminary competition and a more contemporary song in the second round.

"I just want to see what happens," he said.

Ebner was one of 21 contestants selected to sing in the second round. Of that group, 10 were selected to return for a Talent Shoot-Out June 19 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

The Talent Shoot-Out is part of the Gaither Homecoming Concert Series at the Show Me Center. Tickets for the event went on sale Saturday. About 2,000 tickets already have been sold through mail-order requests.

LaFontaine, who lives in Cherokee Village, Ark., north of Little Rock, also was selected for the second round of competition. But even if she didn't make it to the finals, life would go on.

"I'll keep doing it," she said. "The greatest thing is that even if I don't win I've learned so much from the experience," she said.

LaFontaine, 19, has been singing with her family until just recently when she ventured out on her own.

She also recorded her first CD. "I'm just hoping to make it on my own," she said.

And with her voice, it's likely she will.

LaFontaine chose a black-gospel song by CeCe Winan for her second round, and she belted out the notes as simply as if she were reciting the alphabet.

The audience burst into applause when she finished, and the whispers began at the judges' table near the back of the hall.

During each performance, a five-member team of judges rated the acts on appearance, stage presence, vocal ability, song selection and use of time. Performances were limited to four minutes.

Just as certainly as there were obvious choices for the second round, there were acts that weren't going to make it, said Garry Jones, a former recording artist turned producer.

Jones said weeding out the acts doesn't get difficult until the end. "We had two groups of contestants that we debated," he said. "We couldn't dismiss one or the other so we put them both on the list."

Rick Jones, a radio deejay with KWKZ/FM 106.1, said he was surprised by the talent performing throughout the day but not surprised at the crowd.

Of the performances, "there were only a handful that you would say didn't stack up," he said. "Most were really good."

But meeting people from Kentucky, Iowa and even Pennsylvania shows that people are always interested in finding good music. And producers are "always looking for hidden talent," he said.