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.
Book an Appointment – programs@musicnl.ca or by clicking HERE
Abigail Pye, Marketing and Communications Manager
comms@musicnl.ca | 754-2574 ext. 1
Abigail is a St. John’s-based music industry professional who has spent the last eight years working in support of Atlantic Canadian artists. She’s had the privilege to serve artists of various disciplines as they carve out spaces for themselves on our stages and airwaves. She studied Music Business at NSCC and holds a business degree from MUN. Keenly interested in the connection between place and art, Abigail believes that there’s a lot to be found in NL’s lesser-explored spaces. She’s a strong proponent of the province’s rich musical underground.
Talk to Abigail about: Newsletter items, marketing, events, New Music Friday, and opportunities.
Book an Appointment – comms@musicnl.ca or by clicking HERE
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
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.
Mary Beth Waldram
While working in the music industry for the past thirteen years, Mary Beth Waldram has organized and supervised large-scale events, created successful grant proposals, and helped artist’s both in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Mary Beth is a graduate of Memorial University’s School of Music and NSCC’s Music Business Program. Afterwards going on to work with many Atlantic Canadian music festivals including Halifax Pop Explosion and Lawnya Vawnya and The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, managing bands and booking tours for Atlantic Canadian artists. Mary Beth currently resides in St. John’s Newfoundland currently working with Lawnya Vawnya, NL Folk Festival and many local artists.
Derrick Sturge
Derrick Sturge is the owner of St. John’s, NL-based Pharos Music Inc. Derrick is a graduate of the Music Business program at The Berklee College of Music in Boston, holds the Chartered Accountant (CA) and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designations, and an MBA from the University of Durham. Derrick has been a drummer for many years and has experience recording and playing live. Through Pharos Music, Derrick provides artist management, business, and label services to a diverse group of independent artists in the country, pop, folk, jazz, and rock genres.
Derrick is a Member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Music NL. Derrick is also a member of the East Coast Music Association, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), the Music Managers Forum of Canada, the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), Friend of The Guild of Music Supervisors of Canada, and The Recording Academy’s Grammy U – Nashville Chapter.
Derrick / Pharos Music were nominated by Music NL in 2022 and 2023 for “Industry Professional of The Year”, in 2022 for “Company of The Year”, in 2023 for “Event of The Year” and in 2023 Derrick was nominated by the ECMA for “Artist Management of The Year”.
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.
Lindsey Wareham
Lindsey is a lawyer and registered Canadian trademark agent practicing with Cox & Palmer in St. John’s. Lindsey graduated in 2016 from Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law. Her practice focuses on general commercial law and intellectual property law matters, serving clients across a broad range of industries, including technology, hospitality and the arts. Before practicing law, Lindsey practiced classical piano performance and received her B. Mus (Hons) from Memorial University in 2012.
Ayon Shahed
Ayon is strategic leader with over 10 years of experience in the health, housing, technology, social enterprise, homelessness, and public policy arenas. With extensive strategic planning and facilitation experience, Ayon brings a critical focus to ensuring strong communication and inclusive spaces that embrace divergent and convergent thinking. He is currently supporting the growth and impact of community care initiatives and actively developing an innovation pipeline for new ventures. He has also served on a range of boards and committees, including the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, the St. John’s Tool Library, and the City of St. John’s Affordable Housing Committee; he is currently the Chair of Housing Committee for the Catherine Donnelly Foundation and a member of MusicNL’s strategic planning team. Earlier this year, Ayon completed the Strategic Innovation Programme at the Oxford University Saïd Business School. In 2015 he was named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 Under 40, and in 2019 he received an Engineering Excellence Award from Queen’s University.
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.