Misty Gem: Albany’s trio of sisters bring a bright future to classical guitar

Albany sisters Lillian, Jean and Amelia Burgess were playing guitar together before they were in high school. Lillian, the oldest of the trio, is about to turn 18 and is headed to the WA Academy of Performing Arts to start her music degree, specialising in jazz guitar. “I started playing when I was five, we were all playing by the time we were seven,” she said. “We started learning outside of school because our school didn’t offer guitar lessons at the time, so we had to look outside of school. “We found Josh Carson, and we’ve been learning with him ever since. It’s been nearly 10 years. “Playing together as a trio was always what we wanted to do.” Jean, 16, said having one of her sisters living in Perth was going to be a big change. “We grew up in Albany, we went to primary and high school down here, so we’ve always kind of all been together,” she said. “It’ll be a bit of an adjustment when Lillian is up in Perth for university, but she’ll come down whenever she can and we’ll do performances as a trio.” Jean plays saxophone as well as guitar, and composes her own music which the sisters record and sing. “Lillian does a lot of improvising over the top of what I write, and most of them have singing components as well,” she said. “We actually did a recording for one of my songs a couple of hours ago, we came straight from the studio. “It was a really cool experience, it was nice that you could do more than one take and really get into it, and then being able to see how it all comes together.” The sisters, also known by their group name Misty Gem, have recorded a small album comprising both covers and original pieces, which they plan to release. “They’re all classical guitar pieces, some are more well known and some are from more local WA people, as well as some of our teachers who have given us their pieces to cover,” Lillian said of their debut. Being sisters in a music group does not come without its challenges or disagreements, but the girls were quick to point out it was all worth it to be able to play together. “It’s not always the happiest times when we’re rehearsing together, but it’s great to have those times together,” Jean said. “Even when we’re challenging each other, it’s really fun. “I think that’s one of the most important things, that it’s something we all love.” “It’s really rewarding after performances because we debrief about performances together, and we have, I wouldn’t call them inside jokes, but the same experiences that we can talk about and laugh about together,” Lillian said. ““I feel like we really bond over it,” Amelia added. “And honestly I just like hanging out with them.” The sisters will also be performing at Wesley Church’s community event The Quiet Space on Saturday, January 25 from 2pm. The event is designed as a quiet escape for the local community, a time for peace and reflection in Duke Street’s iconic church, with acoustic music provided by Misty Gem as the perfect backdrop to a calming and grounding experience. Jean said the girls hoped they could provide something for everyone in their performance. “We’ll do a few pieces with all three of us, a couple of duets, and then we’ve all got some solos as well, so it’ll be a pretty even mix between those,” she said. “I think it will be a nice afternoon, it should be very peaceful.”