Georgia tunes up for her place with our globe-trotting Sweethearts

Kim Waters
WHILE most other 11-year-olds are bopping along to the likes of Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, Wallington guitarist Georgia Rogers is playing soulful blues.
Georgia recently earned a place in Geelong’s prestigious Sweethearts jazz band as one of the group’s youngest musicians.
Band director Ross Lipson hailed Georgia as a “rising star” after she blew him away during auditions, which included a blues improvisation.
“She’s an absolute gun,” he said.
“I can’t believe how good she is.”
Georgia, who described the praise as “pretty cool”, was “extremely excited” to have earned her place in the band.
“The Sweethearts came to play at my school and I thought they were really great so I decided to audition.”
Georgia will squeeze Sweethearts rehearsals into her busy practice schedule and other band commitments.
“I’m in a band with some kids from school and we play all kinds of stuff,” she said.
“I’m also practising for my grade three acoustic guitar exam, so that’s about half an hour to an hour of practice after school every night.
“I’ve been playing for six years now and I just really love it.”
Georgia was “really excited and a little bit nervous” about playing with her new band.
“The Sweethearts went to Europe recently and that would be such an amazing thing to do, so I’m looking forward to touring with them.”
Georgia plays acoustic guitar and has dabbled in electric and bass versions of the instrument.
“But I never sing,” she laughed.