MEET THE BOARD
TONY BAO
Chair
STEPHANIE PAHL
Vice Chair
A born and raised Calgarian, Stephanie has been a passionate patron of arts and culture her entire life. Since completing her education in Arts and Cultural Management at Grant MacEwan in 2014, she has worked at the National Music Centre (NMC) in a variety of roles in both the Fundraising and Executive Office departments. As Chief of Staff and Senior Director, Administration at NMC, her role is to oversee the operational and administrative activities of the National Music Centre. This includes developing and implementing the overall strategic priorities of the Operations and Volunteers, Business Development, Visitor Experience, Human Resources and ICT departments and managing third-party service providers to ensure they are maximizing efficiencies and adapting to changes that are occurring with the evolution of NMC’s business. Within the Executive Office, her role includes developing strategies to enhance work-place culture, cultivating high-profile partnerships in tandem with the leadership team and President & CEO, and managing and representing the President & CEO's office. Prior to NMC, she slung records as a manager at HMV for almost a decade in multiple stores across Calgary and was a performing member of the Calgary Children's and Youth Choir for several years. Stephanie spends her free time with her husband, Daniel, and their dog, Harley. She’s an active volunteer for the Calgary Folk Music Festival and loves planning, musicals, food, and sarcasm.
JASON LABONTE
Treasurer
I am a former Executive with experience in several different industries including public sector, private industry, and consulting. I am a professional accountant (CPA, CMA) that excels in building teams and transforming organizations. I taught courses at the college level, and I helped deliver CMA Canada’s Strategic Leadership Program for 9 years. I am also a Certified Executive Coach and have served on other boards and committees from Minor Hockey Associations to other not-for-profit associations. I am currently the General Manager for Belvedere Golf & Country Club. For the last 2 years I facilitated Alberta Music's strategic planning for the Board and leadership and am quite familiar with the vision and objectives of the organization. I have several passions in life and music is one of them. I've had the privilege of participating in Edmonton’s local music scene and touring across Canada on multiple occasions. The experiences and the people I met forever changed me for the better.
CANDACE WEBBER
Secretary
Candace was born and raised in Edmonton, graduating from the Advertising & Public Relations Program at GMCC. She worked through College as a Server at The Sidetrack Café where her passion for live music was seeded. She became the Public Relations Director for the Edmonton YMCA, where she learned a lot about working with non-profit organizations. Through this experience, she added “maximum utilization of available resources” to her credo. Candace worked in the Radio Industry for 15 years in promotions, advertising, marketing, event planning and execution. She started in Edmonton at 96 K-LITE FM, then moved to Calgary to work with 66 CFR/KISSFM and Sales, Marketing & Events for Calgary Flames Radio. Candace and her husband Lorne Webber incorporated Adventure Marketing Company in 2000. AMC produced sporting events and highlight TV shows for Luge Canada, Water Ski Canada, Alpine Canada, and more. Adventure Marketing Company pivoted from sports to live music and started producing a live music broadcast series in 2012, Stampede City Sessions. You can watch all of the one hour episodes on their website: www.stampedecitysessions.com
BRIAN FAUTEUX
Brian Fauteux is an associate professor of Popular Music and Media Studies at the University of Alberta. He holds a PhD in Communication from Concordia (Montreal) and has completed a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Media & Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He researches and writes about music industries and music radio, often with a focus on Canada, and is the author of Music in Range: The Culture of Canadian Campus Radio, a book that explores the history of campus radio and its connection to local music scenes. He is now working on a book on the cultural history of satellite radio and popular music in the 2000s as well as a collaborative research project that considers ways to rethink policy, music infrastructure, and funding frameworks that put artists first. He plays the drums and has been a Polaris Prize juror for the past few years.
COURTNEY MILFORD
Courtney Milford is an arts and culture professional with a passion for community development and facilitating economically viable, impactful, and engaging live events and programs. She has been working in leadership roles within the Arts and Culture sector for the past 7 years and has experience working with municipal bodies, non-profit organizations, and higher education environments. Valuing connection points and opportunities to learn and share, she identifies as somewhat of a professional dot-connector. She has been responsible for various multi-year community sponsorship agreements and partnerships during her 4 years as Arts & Culture Coordinator for the Town of Whitecourt and worked to establish the Whitecourt & Woodlands Performing Arts Society as a viable market and included venue amongst the Western Performing Arts Centers circuit. In her current role as the Event Producer with the Students’ Association of MacEwan University, Courtney oversees all large scale events, and most recently served as the
Western Regional Director for the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA) where she worked on membership outreach and spearheaded various regional routing collaborations. While she can't carry a tune in a bucket, Courtney has a positive demeanour and well-honed skill set that has served her well in the Events Industry thus far.
STEVE DERPACK
Steve Derpack, born and raised in Edmonton (and Spruce Grove) started JCL Productions, a multi-faceted company that now specializes in concert promotion, event planning, festival management, live music production, and consultation, in 2006. Prior to this, he performed in a touring band in the mid to late 1990s. After moving into the GM role and full time talent buyer for the Rev, Steve moved a couple of years later to the U of A Students’ Union to oversee the portfolio of Entertainment and Programming. During this time, Steve promoted countless concerts, events, and produced programs in various indoor and outdoor spaces on campus. Steve co-founded the Edmonton Music Awards in 2010, and promoted concerts independently in Edmonton and throughout Western Canada, working with various venues including The Haven Social Club and Avenue Theatre. Steve also opened the Mercury Room with two partners, and went on to become the Executive Director for the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta. Steve has partnered with various entities like the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Live at the Winspear, and Worldwide Music Ventures, which saw Steve travel back-to-back tours of Western Canada. In 2018, Steve became Artistic Director & Facility Supervisor at Festival Place, in Sherwood Park and in 2021, Steve produced a documentary about a year in the life of local artists during a pandemic. Steve will return as the Artist Liaison to support the Bear Creek Folk Festival in Grande Prairie in Aug 2022. Steve is excited to join the Board of Directors and is proud to represent Alberta Music in all ways possible, and looks forward to meeting many new and dynamic people ahead.
BRIAN MILNE
Practising lawyer, Brian Milne, is no stranger to Alberta’s arts community and music industry. He previously served as the president of the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival and Calgary's oldest artist-run gallery space, The New Gallery, and was formerly the chair of the community radio station, CJSW 90.9FM, where he hosted a weekly radio show for many years. Brian practises in the areas of Canadian tax and charity law at Norton Rose Fulbright. He regularly advises public and private businesses and their investors on acquisitions, financing, cross-border structuring and the design of employee compensation plans. Brian also frequently advises charitable and non-profit organizations on a wide range of matters, including charitable gifting and the structuring of developments using charitable assets. He is a director of the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society and serves on the executive committee for the tax specialist section of the Canadian Bar Association (Alberta-South).
JOSE CANGA
Jose Aristóteles Canga – simply nicknamed as “Ari” by locals - is an Edmonton-based keyboardist, music producer and sound engineer. He is an Associate Producer and Radio Technician at CBC/Radio Canada, and is a Digital Audio Production Graduate from Pixel Blue College. Ari is multi-lingual in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Lingala. Originally from Angola, Ari is a World Music, Afro-fusion and Jazz aficionado. His passion of how history, music genres, and cultures interconnect can be recognized within his vibrant compositions, where he often blends traditional elements with modern flair. As a producer and sound engineer, Aristóteles has worked with artists from North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia in a multitude of additional genres, including Pop, Folk, Hip-Hop, R&B, Electronic, Afrobeat, Semba, Kizomba, and Kuduro. Ari has produced and/or mixed music for many artists, including Amanda Malela, Arlo Maverick, Stephanie French, and more. He has performed alongside Jaguar Wright, The Melisizwe Brothers, Nuela Charles, poet laureate Titilope Sonuga and many more. Aristóteles is also the keyboardist and founding member of Melafrique, a Neo-Soul Afro-fusion band that launched in Edmonton in 2016. Their single, “Not Alone” was released in 2020 and has been featured on CBC Radio One’s Key of A with Tarik Robinson and EDify Magazine. Melafrique has performed at numerous local events, such as Edmonton Jazz Fest, Taste of Edmonton, Heritage Festival, The Works Art & Design Festival, Folk Fest, 5 Artists 1 Love, and more.