The Uptown Music Collective is set to present its annual free Summer Music Festival on Sunday, July 21st at Williamsport’s Brandon Park Band Shell. The day’s festivities will begin at 1 pm with free music performances all day, as well as food vendors, raffles, and more. The event will culminate with an exclusive, one-time-only performance entitled Tear The Roof Off: A Funk Retrospective.

Music will run throughout the day and feature a variety of performances including the annual Collective Summer Music Showcase, in which Collective students are featured performing songs of their choosing in full-band arrangements.

The Collective will be running a raffle throughout the day. The grand prize, given away before the closing of the event, will be a brand new electric guitar donated by K&S Music South Williamsport. Food vendors including Bruster’s Ice Cream, Leonard’s Backyard Bistro, Real Taste Mexican Street Food, and Derone’s Dynamite Dogs. This is a family event designed to engage all ages of children and adults through high-quality live music.

The primary entertainment throughout the afternoon will be the school’s Summer Music Showcase, presented by UMC students in full-band configurations. Showcases feature the school’s younger and beginner students. The Uptown Music Collective holds frequent showcases and offers many performance opportunities to its current students as part of its curriculum. The Summer Music Showcase is a much-anticipated performance event for the students of the Uptown Music Collective, many of whom have been preparing for months for this opportunity to perform to family, friends, and the Williamsport community on the Band Shell stage.

“Our student showcases are always an exciting time for the Collective,” said Jared Mondell, UMC Assistant Director. “It’s a chance for everyone to check out the upcoming talent at the Collective. The Summer Showcase is especially exciting because of its part in our annual Summer Music Fest, the whole thing makes for a great family day in the park!”

The day will conclude with an exclusive, one-time performance called Tear The Roof Off: A Funk Retrospective which will feature the Collective’s much heralded Special Performance Group 1 students performing funk classics from artists and groups such as Sly & The Family Stone, Parliament, The Meters, Curtis Mayfield, and more.

In the last 19 years, the Uptown Music Collective has grown from what many used to call “the best-kept secret in the Williamsport area,” to one of the area’s most highly respected, non-profit, educational organizations. While the school is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to students of all ages, it focuses many of its programs on students 10 – 18. The Uptown Music Collective is known for its positive peer group, inspiring teachers, and a diverse multitude of performance opportunities.

The Summer Music Fest is sponsored by K & S Music South Williamsport. Media sponsors include Lamar Advertising, NorthCentralPa.com, Moonlight Graphics, The Graphic Hive, Engage Media, 99.3 FM WZXR, and all of Backyard Broadcasting. For more information, contact the Uptown Music Collective at 570-329-0888 or visit www.uptownmusic.org.