Author: andrew_nielsen

Experienced marchers now, with Pride March and Mardi Gras under our belts, what could Moomba throw at us?  Dancing gymnast children, red t-shirts, and caps, irate marshals, and no banner.  We conquered all of these, put on a great show (with almost perfect choreography), and had a great time.

Five years apart is just too long!  For the first time since 2001 the MRB travelled to Sydney to take part in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.  Twenty-four performers, four volunteer flag and banner bearers, and Drum Major Pramote made the journey to Sydney (including 3 lucky members who drove all the heavy…

The MRB kicked-off Midsumma Carnival with a 45 minute performance on the Shuttlecock stage. Our second performance for the day was in the perfect spot – shaded and sheltered from six competing stage sound systems.  The MRB had a ‘look at moi’ moment and paraded from our display stall to the performance area in double…

Pride March is one of our most visible perform­ances during the year.  This year, thanks to our marching instructor Mark, we added innovative choreography to our march.  While it took us a number of nerve-wracking rehears­als, including one where three ranks of the band ended up at opposite ends of the practice field,  in the…

The MRB is establishing strong links with Motafrenz.  We performed at their Concours d’Elegance for the first time in 2005 and were delighted to be invited back in 2006. This year we performed in the shade, under giant gum trees, and faced across the oval.  New and vintage cars were on display, and other highlights…

Our first performance of the New Year was at the JoyFM Picnic in the Park.  The picnic was held at Forest Glade, picturesque landscaped gardens in the Macedon Ranges owned by philanthropist Cyril Stokes.  There was a slight reduction in audience numbers from the previous year due to sweltering 35-degree heat, however, Mt Macedon was…

Carols by Queerlight, our annual Christmas concert with the MGLC, was a fantastic success.  As in previous years, Kaye Sera and Luke Gallagher hosted the event.  A packed audience of 700 joined us for dinner, drinks, and song, making it our biggest Christmas concert yet. Organisers from both groups worked closely together, successfully dealing with…

To further our community outreach work, the MRB and MGLC took Movie Magic to Ballarat as a fundraising concert for Bbent, Ballarat’s GLBT community group. MRB members attended a dinner hosted by Bbent at the Bell Tower Inn the night before the concert, and were joined by the rest of the performers early the next…

Movie Magic was a collaboration between the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus and the Melbourne Rainbow Band.  Three performances were held over a weekend to a total audience of well over 1,200 fans. Beginning with a powerful performance of Star Wars, the audience was taken on a ride they would not soon forget.  The Band…

The second annual GAYAZ exhibition built on the great work of the original event in 2004/05.  The exhibition ran from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, and included community and corporate stalls, performances, food and drink. Our stall ran throughout the event, staffed by MRB members and friends.  The event saw some new marketing tools come…