WILLIAMSPORT — For their 12th major performance the students of the Uptown Music Collective will present “The Evolution of Rock: 1951-1991,” a theatrical tribute to 40 years of popular rock music. The performance, which will take place at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport, will take the audience on a musical journey through 40 years of rock music, with an accompanying light and video show.
From its creation in the early 1950s to the huge commercial industry it is today, rock and roll has changed and evolved. Starting with what is purportedly the first rock and roll song, “Rocket 88,” released in 1951, the show will move linearly through rock’s evolution, from its innocent beginnings through the turbulent 1960s, the corporate rock of the 70s, up through the 1980s.
The show concludes with a song from 1991, that signaled a return to rock’s roots.
The show features 47 music students from the Uptown Music Collective performing historically important songs from rock history, learned note for note from the original recordings. All performers are between the ages of 13 and 19 and have been preparing for this performance for the last two months.
Along with the live music, there will be a video presentation and powerful light and sound show organized by the students themselves. As with all Uptown Music Collective performances the students are not only the performers, but also direct the show. There is also a group of younger students who will serve as stage technicians, spot light operators and video operators.
The Uptown Music Collective is a 501(c) (3) non-profit school of music that offers lessons, classes and workshops in several instruments, and educates student musicians in a variety of skills and styles, as well as offers classes on songwriting and music theory.
Since its founding in 2000 by director Dave Brumbaugh, the UMC has earned a reputation for its talented students, comprehensive music education, and virtuosic student performances that take place throughout the year. Today, the UMC is seen as the premier source for music education in the area.
If you go
The Evolution of Rock: 1951-1991
Where: The Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., Williamsport
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 20-21
Cost: $10 advance, $15 at the door
For more information: Jared Mondell (jared@uptownmusic.org, 329-0888)
