Year after year, area music fans know they can rely on the students of Uptown Music Collective to provide jaw-dropping concerts every time they hit the stage. Next week, audiences will get a few more chances to take in one of these stunning productions, as the school of music wraps up its 2023-2024 performance season with “Fleetwood Mac: Rumours and Other Stories” at 7:30 p.m. April 26-27 at the Community Arts Center, 220 West Fourth St.

The show will see Uptown’s students perform Fleetwood Mac’s legendary “Rumours” album in its entirety, as well as other hit singles from the band and some of their solo works.

“As the closing show and the celebration of our graduating seniors, the spring show is always one that we are confident will sell well and give them the send-off they deserve,” said Dave Brumbaugh, UMC’s executive director. “Fleetwood Mac, in general, is always on the people’s choice list for our fundraising show in January, and we knew that it would generate some excitement in the community. So, when it won out in the student voting last summer, we knew we were going to put that at the end of the season.”

Considered by many to be the pinnacle of Fleetwood Mac’s Hall of Fame career, “Rumours” spawned a slew of hit songs — “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “The Chain” — and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1978. Famously recorded during an extremely turbulent period for the band, “Rumours” plays out as a soap opera inspired by the group’s internal relationships and conflicts.

“There are a lot of factors in the magic of that album. The emotional turmoil in the band demonstrated for all of us musicians why it’s a great idea not to get romantically involved with people you are working with,” Brumbaugh said. “Although, clearly, without their emotional pain the album wouldn’t be the masterpiece it is.

“The songwriting is truly a notch above anything they did before or since,” he added. “The longing, the pain, the angst. It’s all so raw and easily understood by all of us earthbound fragile souls.”

Brumbaugh believes that UMC performances that focus on a particular album, instead of a selection of songs from various albums or bands, are incredibly valuable for his students. Not only does it allow them to study the music more closely, it also provides great insight on why the album is so successful, he said.

“For the students who have been part of the group for a while, and have been a part of all the various types of shows we bring to the stage, doing a tribute to an album gives them a clear target, overall vibe and the opportunity to delve deep into the production and character of the band they are emulating,” Brumbaugh said. “It is an excellent learning experience.

“Also, since we only do tributes to essential and unique albums — like ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ ‘Led Zeppelin IV,’ ‘Rattle and Hum,’ ‘The Wall’ — it is music that in their time with us, they’ve learned about, studied, and now get to perform live — where they do their best to do the music the justice it deserves.”

Even before prepping for their “Rumours and Other Stories” performances, Brumbaugh said most of his students were already very familiar with Fleetwood Mac and the band’s biggest hits. While they’re excited to perform all the top singles from the album, those aren’t the only songs that have emerged as favorites during rehearsals.

“One that surprised me was ‘Songbird.’ On the first day of rehearsal, the band must have played that beautiful song for about an hour as they focused on getting the feel and the nuances just right,” said Brumbaugh.

One of the bigger challenges for the students in executing this show has been mastering the guitar work of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, according to Brumbaugh. His students have had their work cut out for them, but he said this year’s group includes some very skilled guitar players that are up to the task.

“(Buckingham’s) fingerstyle skills are high caliber and have caused a lot of the guitarists sleepless nights as they wrestle some of his guitar parts to the ground, like the whole live solo guitar rendition of ‘Big Love,’ the sweet Travis picking in ‘Never Going Back Again,’ and of course the subtle and tricking ‘Rhiannon’ guitar part. It’s great stuff,” he said. “Then there’s the overall musical vibe. The kids, however, jumped on it.”

There are two students directing the “Rumours and Other Stories” show, Chase Cowden and Stephanie Nappi. Those two have worked together with a leadership committee of other UMC students — Matthew Bellino, Izzy Butters, Jossian Lilley, Scarlet O’Brien, Connor Evans, Duncan Larson, Tixo Bower, Gabreon Godin, Grace Godin, Abby Jamison, Owen Miller, Brendan Kuriga, Carter Rodgers and Gianna Waldman — to decide all aspects of the performance.

“‘Rumours’ is a classic album. It is a musical masterpiece known for its catchy melodies and emotional depth within the songs,” said Nappi. “(Fleetwood Mac) has been able to blend personal experiences into their music, creating a timeless appeal that has resonated with listeners across all generations and has left an indelible mark on rock history.”

Even though Nappi is now directing a UMC production for the third time, she said every show creates a unique experience that makes it feel fresh. Her partner, Cowden, said his first foray into directing has been “very exciting.”

“It provides an entirely new viewpoint for me. I am looking forward to bringing this show together,” Cowden said.

In splitting up their directorial duties, the pair said they each took on the areas they are the strongest in. That means Cowden has largely focused on the groove and instrumentation in rehearsals, while Nappi’s attention has gone to the vocals and harmonies. Outside of rehearsals, the two found a nice balance in their decision making.

“Directing this show has had its challenges due to the intricate details the songs have, the unique tones and phrasing of the vocalist, and pulling from both live and studio versions of songs,” said Nappi. “The group we are working with has put in a lot of work to get the music to be as accurate as possible, which has helped our jobs as directors be easier.”

Brumbaugh had high praise for this year’s Special Performance Group 1 students, who have dedicated so much of their time, focus and energy into the demanding program. With the seniors of that group having only next week’s shows left before graduating, he said it’s a “bittersweet time of year” and that he is sad to see them going but excited for their futures.

“Whenever the rewards are great in a program, so are the commitment and sacrifice required to be a part of it,” Brumbaugh said. “Although we’ve put on a show just as good as some of this group’s performances this year, there haven’t been many. This may be our strongest season to date.”

For more information or tickets, visit caclive.com.