As a longtime collaborator & close friend, I’ve always felt a magnetic pull towards violinist-composer Aline Homzy. Her dynamism and zest for living a creative life embody what it means to be an artist. Tracing back to her origins in Montréal, she was immersed in a musical world.
Aline’s mother, Francine Dupuis – a bassist, and father Andrew Homzy – a world-class arranger-educator-scholar, credited with the first jazz master’s degree in Canadian history, opened Aline and sister, Luanne Homzy – L.A.-based violinist, to a world of creativity. Their days were filled with art of all styles, facilitating a profound connection to the experiential joy of music.
Imagine this… a 3-year-old Aline dressed in an elaborate homemade costume, belting Mozart’s The Magic Flute in Swedish, while dancing around with her sister. The eclecticism of her upbringing could not be more perfectly encapsulated.
Fast-forward a few years, Aline conceptualized a large-scale recording project under the moniker, Aline’s étoile magique. This resulted in a stunning album entitled, éclipse, featuring a treasure trove of artists. Éclipse received a 4.5-star review in the renowned Downbeat Magazine. Aline’s band-leading skills took precedence, as she booked a cross-Canada festival tour, gaining the support of artistic directors from coast to coast. The tour concluded by winning the Stingray Rising Star Award at the Halifax Jazz Festival. Producing and touring éclipse were a potent mix of ferocious work ethic and optimism as she received funding from all levels of government. It elucidates how Aline is able to mobilize the support of her peers, and individuals across the music industry, all of whom believe in her process. Her new projects include an exploration of the supernatural as it relates to music, in Ghostgirl and new compositions with French lyrics, all from a recent arts residency in Taos, New Mexico.
Aline maintains positivity and optimism, cultivating connections and inspiring forward momentum. She not only pushes herself but challenges and rewards her collaborators, all the while bringing audiences to their feet across Canada and beyond. Aline’s future is bright with possibility and purpose.
-Written by Michael Davidson, Toronto-based musician and composer
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Which ’hood are you in?
My apartment is in West Queen West. What used to be a vibrant and eclectic neighbourhood has turned into a corporate club district, with basically no local nightlife. Streets used to be adorned by artist workshops, galleries and art supply stores. It was easy to find a local dive bar where you’d run into friends and colleagues or just simply hang out in a hole-in-the-wall cafe with excellent pastries and good tea. The impact of gentrification is striking here – this used to be called the Arts District. This used to house artists who couldn’t afford to live in more “exclusive” areas of the city. Artists thrived here…
The destruction of historical heritage buildings is a travesty for the city, and WQW has become but a mere trendy area of Toronto where “entrepreneur” types spend their disposable incomes.
Of course, there is still an underground culture of gig workers and restaurant workers who inevitably contribute something here who must now cater to the more affluent professionals. I am lucky though, I live in one of the city’s few artist co-op housing buildings. And I love my apartment. It’s big. There’s room for my grand piano, my upright bass and many other instruments. It’s soundproof. It’s a refuge and oasis for me and cherish it.
What do you do?
I am a violinist, composer and teacher. Most of my time is spent performing or recording. I am the bandleader for Aline’s étoile magique which involves some of my favourite local musicians: Michael Davidson, Thom Gill, Dan Fortin and Marito Marques and I have a new project in the works, Ghostgirl. These projects have brought me on the road, nationally, to major jazz and classical music festivals, where it is a joy to perform original music for curious audiences.
When I get the chance, I do composition residencies in the USA for extended periods of time. This is where I can refine my craft while being supported by an organization that values this process.
I love highlighting and supporting other musicians, especially instrumentalists, through producing music series’ at different venues. I also produced a film highlighting 25+ musicians who live in my neighbourhood called “Sounds of Davenport”, to show our government representatives that artists live here and need sustainable measures to survive.
I also teach at my alma mater, Humber College. I teach violin privately, ensemble classes ranging from manouche-jazz to contemporary Brazilian music, and music history courses.
What are you currently working on?
My newest endeavour is called Ghostgirl. This is a quartet collective with Michael Davidson, Julian Anderson-Bowes and Spencer Cole. I just spent 3 months composing in Taos, New Mexico at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, where I wrote about 3 albums worth of music. This new project is really exciting to me as it feels like a wonderful collective of musicians where we can trust each other to move freely through the process of shaping things together. These albums will be released in the next few years.
I also have a little project where I scatter wildlife cams in nature and set them to some music. I love animals so much and this has become a huge passion of mine.
Where can we find your work?
You can find my work all over the internet but more importantly, I hope people consider going out to see music in person! There are a lot of venues in town: The Tranzac and the Jazz Bistro are two I recommend.
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