Bruce Packard

Bruce Packard is a Melbourne-based musician/singer/actor/sound engineer. His instruments include double bass, mandolin and guitar. He also has worked with and created marionettes and glove puppets. He was born in London in 1953, and lived in Christchurch, New Zealand before coming to Australia with his parents. He attended school and university in Canberra, and has lived in Melbourne since 1997. Some of his current and past bands include Canyon (west coast style harmonies), Coolgrass (comedy/bluegrass), Straight Ahead (folked-up jazz), the Moonee Valley Drifters (western swing), New Dogs Old Tricks (celtic) and many jazz, rock, jug, blues, bluegrass and folk bands in both Australia and England. He also arranges and performs with Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble, and has also composed and recorded music for film and stage. For Underbelly (a Squizzy episode) he played a banjo-player, including composing and performing the music. He has been active in Melbourne's amateur theatre with lead roles in Toad of Toad Hall (Hartwell), Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat (Players), Jesus Christ Superstar (Players), Tarantara Tarantara (Babirra), and My Fair Lady (Catchment) among many others. As a sound engineer, he tours nationally and internationally with the Melbourne Scottish Fiddlers, as well as festivals and tours for many other bands and shows.