Unveiling ‘Music in the Gardens 2025’: A Harmonious Success - Ulumbarra Foundation
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13 Mar Unveiling ‘Music in the Gardens 2025’: A Harmonious Success

Posted at 16:09h in Uncategorized by

In recent years, the Golden Dragon Museum has blossomed, with strong attendance and a focus on community engagement, collection management, and business development. Among its innovative initiatives for 2025, the museum launched ‘Music in the Gardens’—a series of free, family-friendly concerts held every Sunday afternoon in January.

Located in the serene Yi Yuan Gardens, one of Bendigo’s hidden gems, these concerts provided a perfect setting for relaxation and enjoyment. The initiative offered an additional attraction for museum visitors during the summer months, complementing ongoing exhibits like “In Focus: Images of Bendigo’s Dragons 1895 – 2024” and Ivan Sun’s multimedia project “House of Loong.”

Despite some challenging weather, the concerts were well-attended. The series kicked off with a captivating performance by QiQi (pictured), a renowned guzheng player, alongside her sister Madison, a talented dancer. Across the month, diverse acts entertained audiences, including the soulful Ryan McPartlane and the evocative melodies of Maria McCarthy and her trio. The grand finale featured Distilled Strings, drawing a crowd of more than 150.

“It was so lovely to see inspiring artists celebrating their Chinese heritage through the performing arts, and giving our Bendigo audiences a chance to experience that,” said Ulumbarra Foundation Chair Carolyn Stanford, who opened the QiQi performance.

The initiative was supported by a $5,000 grant from the Ulumbarra Foundation, which covered musician fees, event staffing, and marketing. This backing was instrumental in making the concerts accessible to many hundreds of locals and tourists.

The Golden Dragon Museum is a pillar of Chinese heritage in Australia, averaging over 70,000 annual visitors. CEO Hugo Leschen expressed his gratitude to the Ulumbarra Foundation.

“The support of the Foundation has been crucial to us being able to present these concerts and the support is a fine example of how a relatively small amount can be leveraged to have a wide and very positive impact,” he said.