PHOTOS PROVIDED Uptown Music Collective is excited to present a ‘no-repeat’ alumni show as part of their 25th anniversary season.

The Uptown Music Collective will present “The 25th Anniversary Celebration” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22 at the Journey Bank Community Arts Center in Williamsport. This no-repeat milestone weekend celebrates the nonprofit school of music’s 25th year with more than 80 alumni joining today’s rising stars on stage for four iconic sets. The show, presented in partnership with UPMC North Central Pa and UPMC Health Plan, is the first in the UMC’s four-show season, which includes major performances in January, March and April.

Over the course of two nights, attendees will enjoy the greatest hits of The Rolling Stones and the rock anthems of Led Zeppelin, along with the timeless songs of Elton John and Billy Joel and a massive tribute to Queen. The shows, each a complete, stand-alone concert, will feature a unique combination of alumni and current students.

On Friday night, musicians will cover The Rolling Stones’ favorites like “Gimme Shelter,” “Paint It Black” and “Honky Tonk Women,” as well as Led Zeppelin classics “Black Dog,” “Ramble On,” “Kashmir” and “Stairway to Heaven.” Saturday’s concert will feature hits from Elton John and Billy Joel like “Bennie and the Jets,” “Piano Man” and “Uptown Girl” before closing out with Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions” and more.

“Some alumni performers will appear on both nights, while others will appear only on one, which means each lineup will be unique,” said Executive Director Dave Brumbaugh. “Both nights will also include a large choir of alumni and current performers. The choir will appear in each show but will be featured more prominently on Saturday, adding extra power to the biggest moments and the Queen finale. The bottom line is this: These are two unique, no-repeat shows. To experience the full 25th anniversary celebration, you’ll need tickets for both Friday and Saturday.”

UMC alum Gabe Stillman (2006-2012) said he’s grateful to be a “Collective kid.” His time at the school helped him realize that he could find a future doing what he loves: making music.

“I’m thrilled to come back to celebrate the 25th anniversary with my fellow alumni and the newest group of talented students,” Stillman said. “Watching the Collective evolve in the years since I’ve graduated has been a joy. They’re always raising the bar. I look forward to reconnecting with my old friends and being a part of what the UMC does best: playing great music at the highest professional level.”

Fellow alum Kendall Palmatier (2010-2016) has been involved with the planning and design of the weekend’s stage plot. Although it has been a challenge to work on a show of this magnitude, she’s looking forward to seeing it all come together.

“A show of this size requires a lot of planning to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Palmatier said. “The stage had to be designed in such a way that we could fit 80-plus people on it at once and so that everyone could be seen as best as possible. With the stage only being so wide, that means we had to build up vertically. I’m very excited to see this design come to fruition and to be able to perform on it.”

UMC alumni have reunited for performances in the past, but nothing of this scale has ever been done in the history of the Collective, said Jared Mondell, assistant executive director/marketing director.

“Bringing back more than 80 alumni and having them play side-by-side with our students is a historical event,” Mondell said. “Traditionally, our fall and spring shows are two nights, but they are the same show. Friday night is the same as Saturday night. This is the first time ever that we have done two separate shows — four separate sets over two back-to-back nights — in the 25-year history of the Uptown Music Collective.”

The 25th Anniversary Celebration will highlight the talents of the school’s elite Special Performance Group 1, comprised of students aged 14 to 19, who audition to be a part of the group and then work together to plan, direct, design, rehearse and perform the music that inspired many of them to pick up their instruments in the first place. Along with the music, there will be a professional-grade light and sound show organized by the students while working alongside the professionals at the Journey Bank Community Arts Center. As with all Uptown Music Collective performances, the students are not only the performers but also the directors of the show. A group of younger students, or “Tech Monkeys,” will serve as stage technicians and spotlight operators.

“The Collective’s 25th anniversary show is going to be the biggest production in Collective history, and I am very excited and proud to be a part of it in my senior year,” said Mackenzie Hakes, UMC senior and member of SPG1. “I can’t wait to reconnect with some of the people I looked up to and played with during my first years in the group. Even if you don’t know anyone personally who will be a part of this show, the music, alone, is worth coming to see. We will be playing some of classic rock’s most iconic songs from some of the greatest bands ever. This show is going to be unlike any other, and I am very excited to get back out on the CAC stage.”

Additional partners and sponsors for this performance include Chartwell Hotels, KFC of Williamsport, Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships, The Kiessling Group of Janney Montgomery Scott, Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, Woodlands Bank, Miele Manufacturing, The Brickyard Restaurant and Ale House, The Stonehouse Wood Fired Pizza and Pasteria, The Crooked Goose, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Roche Financial Inc., The Hartman Group, Hudock Capital Group and Beiter’s Furniture, Mattress and Appliance. Media sponsors include Backyard Broadcasting, the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Lamar Advertising, 92.1 WSQV, NorthCentralPa.com and The Graphic Hive.

For more details about “The 25th Anniversary Celebration Concerts,” as well as tickets, visit uptownmusic.org/25thanniversary or caclive.com/umc25. Check out the Collective’s official Facebook page, as well as other Collective social media outlets, for teasers, previews, behind-the-scenes info and more from the performance.