Meet the COLLECTIVE’S SPG1 Members of the 2024-2025 Performance Season!
Below is a short bio of all the SPG1 members who are a part of this year’s performance season.
Each & every one of them went through a competitive audition process to be involved in the Collective’s elite Special Performance Group 1 (SPG1). Together they plan, organize, REHEARSE, and make up the cast of the Uptown Music Collective’s Fall and Spring Performances at the Community Arts Center.


Rowan Alamy
Rowan Alamy is 17 years old and is a junior at Lewisburg Area High School. Rowan has been a student at the Collective for three and a half years. This is her second year in SPG1. Rowan sings and takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha.
“I love music for many reasons. But the one that really hits home is that it is therapeutic. When I am down or upset, I sit down at my keyboard, find a chord progression and then sing my feelings. Then, when I get to the stage, it feels like a whole new world. I can be me and I can sing and everything goes away.” – Rowan.
Matthew Bellino
Matthew Bellino is 17 years old and is a junior at Danville Area High School. Matt has been a student at the Collective for seven years now. This is his fifth year being in SPG1. Matt plays bass and guitar. He takes bass lessons with UMC guitar instructor and executive director, Dave Brumbaugh.
“Through SPG1, I have learned that disciplined learning is important for not only knowing your parts in a song but for also helping others.” – Matt.
Tixo Bower
Tixo Bower is 17 years old. He is a homeschool student and this year is a senior. Tixo has been a student at the Collective for four years. This is his third year in SPG1. Tixo plays guitar and keyboard. He takes guitar lessons with UMC guitar instructor and executive director Dave Brumbaugh.
“Being in SPG1, I’ve learned the importance of teamwork and dedication. It’s shown me the real drawbacks of miscommunication and lack of preparation.“ – Tixo.
Isabel Butters
Isabel Butters is 17 years old and is a senior at Loyalsock Township High School. Izzy has been a student at the Collective for eight years. This is her sixth year in SPG1. Izzy sings and plays guitar. She takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha.
“Through SPG1, I have learned time management skills and performance skills. Music is the only thing that makes me feel like I can get all of my emotions out.“ – Izzy.
Jake Butters
Jake Butters is 13 years old and is in 8th grade at Loyalsock Township Middle School. He has been a student at the Collective for four years. This is his first year in SPG1. Jake sings and plays bass. He takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha and bass lessons with UMC bass instructor Levi Stover.
“When I first started, it took me months to learn a song. I had zero stage presence and could not sing a harmony for the life of me (let alone a bass line), but now it can take me as little as a day to learn a new song (for bass and vocals). I have much better stage presence and just overall confidence, and my knowledge of harmony has greatly improved.” – Jake.
Lila Butters
Lila Butters is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Loyalsock Township High School. Lila has been a student at the Collective for eight years. This is her second year in SPG1. Lila sings and plays the keyboard. She takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha.
“I love the family dynamic that I have with not just the students, but the staff. It really just feels like one big extended family. They may get on my nerves sometimes, but I can’t imagine doing this with any other people.“ – Lila.
Hailey Campbell
Hailey Campbell is 13 years old and is in eighth grade at Montgomery Area High School. Hailey has been a student at the Collective for three years. This is her first year in SPG1. Hailey sings and plays keyboard. She takes voice and keyboard lessons with UMC vocal instructor Haley Miller.
“I definitely have gotten way better at music than when I started. When I first started at Uptown, I was really scared to sing, move around, and have fun with music. Now, I love to dance around and enjoy every bit of it.“ – Hailey.
Elle Donlin
Elle is 14 years old and is in eighth grade at Williamsport Area Middle School. Elle has been a student at the Collective for six years. This is her second year in SPG1. Elle is a drummer and takes drum lessons with UMC drum instructor Jesse Roedts.
“I feel like, as you get more involved at the Collective, you meet more people who like the same things as you. It makes you find lasting friendships that you will have until you graduate. I love music because of the way it makes me feel. It gives me a sense of happiness when I need it, and it has always been something that made an impact in my past and hopefully my future.“ – Elle.
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Sofia Donlin
Sofia Donlin is 11 years old and is in 7th grade at Loyalsock Township Middle School. Sofia has been a student at the Collective for six years. This is her first year in SPG1. Sofia sings and plays the keyboard. She takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha.
“Through the Collective, I’ve developed the skills to multitask and work with time management, dedication to what I do, and teamwork.“ – Sofia.
Rian Gephart
Rian Gephart is 16 years old and is a junior at Montoursville Area High School. Rian has been a student at the Collective for 10 years. This is her fourth year in SPG1. Rian sings, and plays keyboard and guitar. She takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha and guitar lessons with guitar instructor and executive director Dave Brumbaugh.
“The classes, workshops, and showcases are all a vital part of becoming a good performer and musician. Although they might seem silly at first, you will realize that as you keep learning and growing, they actually give you great practice and experience for when you are ready to be a part of something bigger. I would say that these things have definitely made me a better musician and performer.” – Rain.
Grace Godin
Grace Godin is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Williamsport Area High School. Grace has been a student at the Collective for around eight years. This is her fourth year in SPG1. Grace sings and plays the bass, keyboard and guitar. She takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Haley Miller and bass lessons with guitar instructor and executive director Dave Brumbaugh.
“I love music for millions of reasons; however, the majority of them fit into two categories. At the Collective, music connects me to the people that I care about. A song that I played onstage with my brother can remind me of him, even though he is now miles away in college. Or it could remind me of a memory that I shared with someone else while listening to a song. I love music because it can remind me of the things and people that bring me joy. The other overarching reason is that it is a main way for me to express myself. Listening to music is my automatic go-to when I can’t explain how I feel to myself; instead, I search for a song until it resonates with me, whether I understand why at the moment or not. It helps clear a lot of the muddled thoughts that I can make better sense of as feelings.“ – Grace.
Mackenzie Hakes
Mackenzie Hakes is 16 years old and is a junior at South Williamsport Area High School. Mackenzie has been a student at the Collective for three years. This is her second year in SPG1. Mackenzie plays guitar and takes guitar lessons with UMC guitar instructor and executive director Dave Brumbaugh.
“When I first started at the Collective, I didn’t even know how to properly hold a guitar or play chords. My knowledge was just what I had learned from the internet and online. Now it is crazy to think that after only 3 years at the Collective, I am one of two guitar players in SPG1 and on nearly 30 songs in the first show of the year.“ – Mackenzie.
Ella Hertwig
Ella Hertwig is 15 years old and is in 9th grade at Loyalsock Township High School. Ella has been a student at the Collective for four years. This is her second year in SPG1. Ella sings and takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Haley Miller.
“In SPG1, I’ve learned the importance of teamwork. We can’t put shows together at the best of our ability if we don’t all work together to better ourselves. You have to learn to be dedicated and ready to work so that we can be successful.“ – Ella.
Abby Jamison
Abby Jamison is 17 years old and is a senior at Williamsport Area High School. Abby has been a student at the Collective for nine years. This is her fourth year in SPG1. Abby sings and takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Stacia Abernatha.
“I have learned life skills as much as I have learned music through the Collective. I have learned teamwork, I have learned how to deal with the good and the bad, and what I want in a friendship or what I don’t. As a teenager, my life is always changing and Uptown is a part of this change. As I have gotten older, I have more responsibilities that transfer to other parts of my life.“ – Abby.
Owen Miller
Owen Miller is 17 years old and is a senior at Williamsport Area High School. He has been a student at the Collective for five years. This is his third year in SPG1. Owen is a drummer and takes drum lessons with UMC drum instructor Bobby Leidhecker.
“The best part about the Collective is performing. Never in my life would I be able to imagine myself behind a drum kit, playing in front of more than a thousand people at the Community Arts Center, and even doing it more than once in a year. The experience is otherworldly and truly comes once in a lifetime, but the Collective has allowed me to experience it eight times over the past two years.“ – Owen.
Jocelyn Moser
Jocelyn Moser is 16 years old and is a junior at Loyalsock Township High School. Joselyn has been a student at the Collective for over a year. This is her first year in SPG1. Jocelyn sings and takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Haley Miller.
“Everything about the Collective is great, honestly, but I love that all the students and teachers/directors work together and support one another like one big family/team. This is something I’ve never felt that I’ve gotten out of anything else I’ve done before: a feeling of belonging, like a second home.” – Jocelyn.
Caiden Scarfo
Caiden Scarfo is 16 years old and is a junior at Williamsport Area High School. He has been a student at the Collective for three and a half years. This is his second year in SPG1. Caiden plays guitar and sings. He takes guitar lessons with UMC guitar instructor Willi Ort.
“I have learned that discipline and responsibility are important factors of being a musician. Doing what you need to, and when you need to, is an important skill to have in life, in general. I have also learned how to communicate with other people and be more interactive and social.“ – Caiden.
Cash Street
Cash Street is 15 years old and is a sophomore at Williamsport Area High School. He has been a student at the Collective for five years. This is his first year in SPG1. Cash is a drummer. He takes drum lessons with UMC drum instructor Adam Westover.
“I’ve always enjoyed creating things, and, through music, being able to create my own new fills or beats just feels really nice.” – Cash.
Gianna Waldman
Gianna Waldman is 17 years old and is a senior at Montoursville Area High School. Gianna has been a student at the Collective for seven years. This is her third year in SPG1. Gianna is a drummer and takes lessons with UMC drum instructor Jesse Roedts.
“UMC Partners allow the Collective to show people the beauty of making music. Music is always there for you when you are happy or sad. It doesn’t judge you or make fun of you. It’s just there for whatever mood you are in to help you feel and express those emotions.“ – Gianna.
Christian Williams
Christian Williams is 11 years old and is in 6th grade at Walnut Street Christian School. He has been a student at the Collective for 1 ½ years. This is his first year in SPG1. Christian sings and takes voice lessons with UMC vocal instructor Haley Miller.
“My experience level changed so much from when I started here. When I started, I didn’t even want to talk to my teacher, but when I sang after my first lesson in front of my parents, they already saw improvement. I kept coming week after week and kept doing the lessons, classes, and workshops and I got into SPG1.” – Christian.
Nicholas Willoughby
Nick Willoughby is 16 years old and is a junior at Danville Area High School. Nick has been a student at the Collective for three years. This is his second year in SPG1. Nick is a drummer. He takes drum lessons with UMC drum instructor Adam Westover.
“At first, I had trouble with coordination between my limbs, but I just kept practicing and I eventually learned and gained muscle memory. The Collective pushes you to do your absolute best and become a well-rounded musician.” – Nick.