Tamara Kater, Executive Director
ed@musicnl.ca | 754-2574 ext. 3
A passionate music enthusiast, Tamara has worked in arts management and festival organization for more than twenty years, wearing the hat of festival producer, artist manager, board member and executive director. She is well known in the industry as a panelist, consultant, mentor and artist advocate.
Based in St John’s since 2022, Tamara brings with her a wealth of experience working for organizations such as Winnipeg Folk Festival, Folk Music Canada, and most recently Mavens Music, a full-service management company she founded in 2015.
“This music community has played a pivotal role in helping me reconnect with my roots in Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s an honour to work with the membership, board and partners to help celebrate, foster and grow the music sector in the province.” says Tamara.
Mariana Castro Carvajal, Programs Manager
Regional Educational Coordinator, FACTOR
programs@musicnl.ca | 754-2574 ext. 4
Originally from Mexico City, Mariana is a musician and researcher graduated from the Ethnomusicology program at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Brandon University, Manitoba. As a pianist and singer, Mariana has conducted several children’s music projects and a seniors choir. She is a dedicated scholar and an enthusiast of the connections between music, belonging, and stories. In addition to music and research, Mariana has a passion for performance art, storytelling and governance.
During her three years at MusicNL, Mariana led the first EDI strategies such as the Global Music Series at The Rooms and the outreach to newcomer musicians living across the province. She then developed and managed the Instrumental Connections Program which benefited 70+ newcomer musicians as they started and grew their careers in NL.
Talk to Mariana about: Funding programs, awards, stages, applications, FACTOR questions.
Book an Appointment – programs@musicnl.ca or by clicking HERE
Andrea Vincent, Marketing & Communications Manager
comms AT musicnl.ca | 754-2574 ext. 1
Andrea brings over fifteen years of music experience to our team. As former Creative Director of Sappyfest, Executive Director of the Dawson City Music Festival, and co-founder of Lawnya Vawnya, Andrea has had the immense privilege of working with over 450 groundbreaking artists from across the country and around the world. Andrea brings a wide lens to our organization, with experience in artistic direction and curation, artist care, inclusion, operations, production, administration, marketing, and beyond.
Fueled by a passion for Canada’s underground music culture, joyful and thoughtful gatherings around music, and a desire to re-dream industry norms and working conditions for artists and cultural workers, Andrea is proud to be one of 42 people meticulously selected from across 25 countries to participate in the Keychange 2025 Talent Leadership Program, a program designed to support underrepresented talents in leading collective and collaborative actions toward a better, more inclusive music industry for present and future generations.
“My work in the music ecosystem began in grassroots, DIY, community-based organizing, with artists and aspiring artists remaining at the heart of everything I do. I’m so happy to have landed back home permanently, to share what I’ve learned along the way with MusicNL, and to support artists, industry workers, and the MusicNL team in getting their message out.”
Talk to Andrea about: newsletter, social media, membership, member benefits.
Book an Appointment – programs@musicnl.ca
Adam Harding, Event Coordinator
event@musicnl.ca
Adam has worked in St. John’s as a label manager, booker, and promoter for over fifteen years. Born and raised in Newfoundland, he is well known for championing alternative music in St. John’s with a focus on exporting talent abroad while fostering a strong local music community.
Talk to Adam about: Events, Sponsorship, and MusicNL Week.
Book an appointment – event@musicnl.ca
Directors
Welcome to our new directors: Leonard Pecore, Ryan Gosse and Siobhan Donovan
Standby while we get their bios and photos updated…
Nigel Jenkins
Nigel Jenkins is a graduate of the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, with a Certificate in Entertainment Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. Nigel is an artist manager and record label owner based in Steady Brook, NL. Through his company, Laughing Heart Music, Nigel has worked with artists like Classified, Heather Rankin, Ben Caplan, Hillsburn, The Lytics, and many others as a manager, label owner, and consultant. Nigel has sat on the boards of the Halifax Pop Explosion Music Festival and the Halifax Urban Folk Festival. He was nominated for the 2019 East Coast Music Award for Artist Manager of the Year and the 2018 Nova Scotia Music Week Artist Manager of the Year Award.
Krista Vincent
Krista Vincent started her musical career in the town of Lewisporte, NL. She went on to become a dedicated specialist in the performance and interpretation of contemporary music, with a career spanning three continents as pianist, composer, educator, adjudicator, and arts administrator. Krista holds music and ethnomusicology degrees from McGill University, the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and Memorial University. From 1999-2007 Krista was based in the Netherlands where she was active as an electronic music composer and performer. She has held arts management roles with Canberra International Music Festival in Canberra, Australia, Kittiwake Dance Theatre, Kiwanis Music Festival of St. John’s, and was the Executive Director of the Tuckamore Festival from 2014-2023. She is currently working in a policy role for the Government of NL and an MBA candidate at Carleton University, Ottawa.
Heather Stamp-Nunes
Heather is founder of Leadership Matters Inc, an executive coaching and organizational development firm based in St. John’s, NL specializing in strategic planning, governance and leadership strategy, executive coaching, group facilitation and mediation. Heather’s leadership practice is built on deep academic training, executive certifications, and over 20 years’ experience as a manager, consultant, and executive leader in strategy, people, and organizational development. In addition to her governance, strategic planning, executive coaching, facilitation and conflict resolution work, Heather is an instructor in the Marine Studies Master’s Program in the School of Ocean Technology at Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute, as well as a frequent instructor in the Centre for Higher Education Research and Development Program at the University of Manitoba. She is a business graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, holds a MEd from Memorial University, a Masters of Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto. Currently, Heather serves on the boards of TFNL and the ADR Atlantic Institute. She has served on other boards at the province and national level including St. John’s Board of Trade, ICF Atlantic and the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education.
Matthew Barrett
Director
Matthew Barrett has been involved in the arts scene in NL for most of his life. He has organized and facilitated many regional festivals over the years and has been an active part of the music scene during that time. Matthew graduated from StFX with an advanced major in music. He was the chair of the Melville Music Festival for several years, sat on the board of the Labrador Creative Arts Festival, and has been involved in countless other festivals and events in the region. Matthew has been a music educator for over 15 years and has been nominated for MusicNL’s music educator of the year award several times. He was the manager of the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre from 2016-2021. He is most recently running a construction company and actively working toward a new album with Silver Wolf Band, along with touring / workshop opportunities which are ongoing.