Seven months ago Madeline Forster saw herself heading off to grad school to study psychology. She had made the shift from classical to jazz, yet the prospect of going pro simply hadn't dawned on her.

"If you had told me then that I'd be gigging every weekend I would have laughed at you completely," the 21-year-old says. "First of all, I didn't have the nerve to do that. I didn't think people wanted to hear me. And then boom! All of a sudden, I'm scheduled every weekend."

So it was off to hit the books at York College in Toronto. Halfway through the year, however, the jazz jones got to be too much and Forster signed up for vocal jazz studies.

"That sort of reignited everything," she says. Initial ignition came after her jazz vocal coach slipped her a copy of "The Best Of Ella and Louis."

"That became my all-time favorite CD," she says. And if you've ever heard this young lady sing ... well, no kidding.

Forster's choice of music is right out of that big ol' American Songbook; songs that lay a foundation for the listener to grab onto as the musician takes them for a ride. On stage, Forster is admittedly shy, frequently blending into the scene despite her youthful pulchritude (That's right, she's a looker). Her quartet lays down a solid, yet unobtrusive shag, cocktail style. There's nowhere for the young lady to hide.

"I didn't think I could do this," she says. "Especially in the beginning. I used to stare in one spot and put my head down with my hands at my side. I didn't touch the microphone. It was not pretty to watch me at first."

Her voice is another matter altogether. It is a bright yet warm soprano, slick and clean with wisps of color and tone on the edges. And her command of the upper register - where it can get a little risky for some - is excellent. Perhaps her classical training didn't hurt.

"I think it's a good foundation for all singing," she says. "Because you learn technique, how to use your body, and how to breathe."

But Forster didn't stick to opera. "Creatively, it was limiting me," she says. "You can't do your own thing with it - you can with the dynamics and the beauty of the sound, but you can't really add something or change the song. Plus, I'd played classical oboe, so I'd had enough of classical."

Forster even found pop music limiting. So for her "American Idol" audition, at age 16 she chose an Etta James jazz gem.

"I sang ‘At Last,'" she says. "Like probably 6000 other people."

But alas, it didn't last.

"I got immediately shut down," Forster says. "They say ‘Sorry' and they cut off your wristband and you go home." And with no tips, no advice, no words of wisdom from the gauntlet of know-it-alls in charge.

"Nothing, not a word," she says. When you see it on TV, you think you're going to go straight to Paula, Simon, and Randy, and they're going hear your voice and be enthralled with you. There were tears, but it didn't take away form the fact that I love singing and I love music."

Forster thinks her folks expected the "Idol" shutdown, hoping it might be a bit of a reality check. You know, that whole "real job" thing.

But what do you know? It's five years later and Forster's dad, Tim, now plays flute in her band. Dad helps out booking and hiring the band, but doesn't push it. Ultimately it's Forster's band, even with the occasional conflict.

"Oh, I always win the argument," she says. "He knows better. He helps out a lot but the understanding is he knows he's not going to be a stage dad."

Forster and her band play regular residencies and one-night stands at joints around town like Pane Vino, Bistro 135, and The Little Theatre Café. Watching her from week to week, you can hear the chops getting sharper as she emerges from the spot behind the mic stand to warble, scat, and coo. Forster keeps forging.

"I keep hitting plateaus where I get a little more comfortable and I have to keep pushing myself," she says. "I've only been doing this seven months and I forget how fast things are moving. Seven months ago I thought I'd be going back to grad school. So this had derailed me a little bit. I'd like to see it go as far as it can. I'm also trying to be realistic about it. I haven't had anyone tell me I have to stop."

Honey, that phone call's never gonna come.

Madeline Forster

Bistro 135, 135 W Commercial St, East Rochester

Saturday, August 2

7 p.m. | myspace.com/madelinecforster | free