How long have you been living locally? What suburb are you in?

I first moved to Northcote in 2009, into a sharehouse on the top of Rucker's Hill. Bit by bit, I've moved north along the railway and am in Thornbury these days.

What do you love about your home town/suburb?

It's public transport heaven. I live around the corner from my studio at Neon Parlour, and can get to most of the High Street music venues and local restaurants and cafes on foot. I'm into exploring back streets and laneways, industrial spaces... gritty, forgotten places. All the vacant shopfronts have me daydreaming about ideas for community arts projects post-restrictions.

What genre of music do you generally play? 

I suppose "art music" is the best fit. I studied classical in my undergraduate degree because back in the nineties I just didn't know of any female horn players doing anything else. It's turned me into a jack of all trades with a grounding in a 500-year history of horn-blowing as storytelling. I've always played jazz, experimental, and folk or "world music"; I make sound and video art; do spoken-word... the list gets longer every year.

Are you a solo artist and/or do you play with a band? Would you like to list them?

I'm mostly a collaborator, although completing my masters (and turning 40) had me finally get together my own ensemble. The Women is a 10-piece chamber group: a vehicle for my immersive cinematic work. A spin-off from that is the quartet ThunderGrass, which won the Melbourne Women's International Jazz Festival Recording Prize last year. I've played in Belinda Woods' group Lo-res for many years, and more recently the Adam Simmons Creative Music Ensemble and the JazzLab Orcheztra. 

Where is your favourite live music venue to play locally?

It's so hard to choose! I love a sweaty dancefloor at Open Studio or playing the front bar of the Wesley Ann on a sunny weekend afternoon, but somehow I always end up back at 303 on a Wednesday night. 

Where is your favourite live music venue to play in world-wide?

It's not a venue, but a few years ago I was on tour with Tek Tek Ensemble and we made a music video on the streets of Bangkok – there was monsoonal rain, temples, dancing tourists – I ended up miming a trumpet solo hanging out the back of a tuk-tuk.

If you could play with any other musician in the world, who would it be?

I just wanna get to Moonee Ponds for another ThunderGrass jam with my fave trombonist Ros Jones. We have a so-far-uncancelled-unadapted gig at the Recital Centre on December 4. 

Some artists have part time/full time jobs when they are not gigging – do you have one? (and do you want to share it?)

I'm an instrumental music teacher, a conductor/musical director, and an artist-in-residence. I curate one of Melbourne's longest-running music and sound nights, La Mama Musica, at Carlton's iconic theatre. During the pandemic, I've been getting more work as a distraction therapist; and am currently working with a school to develop an environmental listening and mindfulness program for 5-8 year olds. 

What hobby have you taken up during isolation? (eg. baking sourdough!)

Making pasta from scratch, and in the last week or so I've started running.

What are you looking forward to doing again, post COVID-19 restrictions?

When the first lockdown ended, I gathered together a few brass-playing friends and students to play on top of the hill at All Nations Park at sunset. It was so random and last minute, but so, so beautiful. I really... really need to do that again. Music and sound in a public ritual, that's togetherness for me.

What has been your favourite thing about isolation?

I've been doing a spot of guerrilla gardening.

What has been the hardest part about isolation?

The world has shrunk, and I'm really missing my friends and family. It's my mum's birthday in a couple of weeks and she's over in Perth. Australia never felt so big.

If people want to learn more about your music where can they head to?

gemmahorbury.com is getting a pandemic facelift, but I have a really fun new album just released this month, and for people more interested in slowing down, a bit of wildflower action for asmr lovers.