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The Melbourne Rainbow Band is throwing open the door to the rehearsal room and welcoming new members.

To be held the Will Sampson Community Centre in Windsor at 7:30pm on 23 February, this is a fantastic opportunity for interested musicians to come along and meet the band. Bring your instrument and sit in on rehearsal.

So if you play a brass, woodwind or percussion instrument, get that instrument out of the closet, blow off the cobwebs and come along to see for yourself how much fun playing music together can be.

For more details please email info@mrb.org.au

7:30pm – Thursday 23 February 2012
Will Sampson Community Centre
Henry Street, Windsor (Melways Ref 2P G2)
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The Melbourne Rainbow Band has a long history of being led by highly skilled Musical Directors who have also lent their talents to teaching and encouraging an Assistant Musical Director. The 2012 MRB Assistant Musical Director will play an integral part in weekly rehearsals, and over the Midsumma period when the Melbourne Rainbow Band often have performances scheduled every weekend.

All applications will be taken into consideration by Committee and the Musical Director.

For more information email ben@mrb.org.au or by telephone on 0412 509 828

It’s more than tradition.

For the 17th consecutive year, the MRB joined with Melbourne’s GLBTI and allied communities to recognises and celebrate the people and events that inspire the courage, solidarity, pride, diversity and strong sense of community of Victoria’s vibrant GLBTI people.

The march down Fitzroy Street seemed to be perfectly timed. Shortly before the band stepped off from the marshalling area the winds that had almost swept us off our feet earlier during our rehearsal died down, giving us ideal conditions for marching.

A huge crowd had lined Fizroy Street and cheered us on as we played the very aptly chosen Born This Way (the Lady Gaga favourite) as well as Firework (Lily Allen).

Having made it down to the end of the march at Catani Gardens, the band members then made their way back to their cars just in time for the clouds to open. Phew!

Thanks go to our friends and supporters for showing their support and entheusiasm, but most of all we thank those true band groupies who marched with us as our colour guard.

The MRB along with family and friends enjoyed a wonderful, sunny day of music, leisurely walks through the amazing gardens at Forest Glade, and picnic baskets the size of steamer trunks.

The Joy Picnic is a fundraising event for JOY 94.9 which is held each year on Australia Day at the gardens of our longtime supporters Cyril and Trevor. Forest Glade is one of Australia’s finest private gardens, covering fourteen acres – parts of which are around 100 years old.

The MRB performed music from its summer repertoir, alongside the Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Chorus. Local GLBTI car club, Motozfrenz also displayed some of their members classic cars.

Each year, the Melbourne Rainbow Band and Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus join forces to bring you Carols By Queerlight.

In 2011, popular Melbourne entertainment personality Luke Gallagher and MQFF General Manager Danae Gibson returned to add a special sparkle as MCs. The concert was also broadcast live on JOY 94.9. This was the 11th year that MRB and MGLC have presented Carols by Queerlight in partnership with the Prahran Market Management.

The Melbourne Rainbow Band and, in his first performance as Musical Director, David Wisken paid homage to the many talented writers of the broadway era.

With an amazing vocal performance by the very talented Rosa McCarty, the Melbourne Rainbow Band performed a range of samples from Broadway. As host, the hilarious Anna Burgess shared musical trivia (and her own vocal rendition of the opening to the Lion King) which enjoyed by musical theatre aficionado’s as well as those who don’t know their Mel Brooks from their Andrew Lloyd Webbers!

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Members of the MRB and their family and friends kicked up their heels recently at the Melbourne Rainbow Band Bush Dance.

Bringing a little bit of country to the big smoke, professional dance caller, Ian Bunston was our guide for a number of sets of very energetic Australian colonial and traditional dances (and the Chicken Dance, for some reason).

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In the spirit of welcoming its new Musical Director, David Wisken, the MRB is holding an open rehearsal / bring a friend night.

The more new faces, the merrier.

The rehearsal provides a great opportunity for people, who may be interested in becoming a member of the Melbourne Rainbow Band. It also gives our friends and significant others a chance to see where we go on a Thursday night – and why it is such an important part of our week.

The open rehearsal will be held in Windsor at the Will Sampson Centre, Henry Street commencing at 7:30pm on Thursday 28th April 2011.

For more information, contact info@mrb.org.au

It’s here! The Melbourne Rainbow Band’s new CD has arrived, and it’s even more fabulous than we could have hoped.  Celebrating some of our favourite music from the last five years, it pretty much includes every style of music we play – movies, musicals, classical, jazz and even a couple of rock tunes with guest vocalist Julie Leder.

CD’s will be available at all our events for $15 each.  An additional $2.5 will cover postage costs anywhere in Australia. Email treasurer@mrb.org with your name and postal address, and we will send you our bank details.

TRACKLIST:

• The Dam Busters March
• The Man from Snowy River (Listen to an excerpt)
• Hold On, I’m Coming (Vocals: Julie Leder)
• Selections from ‘Hairspray’
• Pacem – A Hymn for Peace (Listen to an excerpt)
• Virginia
• The Doors in Concert
• Big Spender (Vocals: Julie Leder)
• The Genius of Ray Charles
• Tribute to Count Basie (Listen to an excerpt)
• Pilatus: Mountain of Dragons

This is our first CD since our 1997 offering Live in San Francisco, and our first ever studio-recorded CD.  It was an amazing experience for all the performers involved, and a great team effort.  The CD was recorded in November 2010 by Recording Engineer Rod Reynolds of Rochester Engineering.

Check out pics from the recording process below:

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