The Calgary Musicians Association is a member-drive organization that represents musicians involved in all aspects of music throughout southern Alberta and the Columbia Valley of British Columbia. Our mission is to work for the interests and well-being of musicians working in our geographic jurisdiction. Through our collective efforts in promoting the value of music and the essential contribution of musicians to society, we work to ensure that musicians receive fair treatment and fair wages for their services. A CMA membership gives musicians access to the benefits and services available to members, as well as contributing to the enhancement of status of music and musicians within our community.
The Association is affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, with the head office of the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) in Toronto. Founded in 1896, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. The AFM represents all types of professional musicians, including those who perform music of every genre in every sort of venue from small jazz clubs to symphony orchestra halls to major stadiums, as well as those who record music for sound recordings, film scores, videogames, radio, television and commercial announcements. Whether negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying legislators, the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape.
Matthew Heller joined the CMA Executive Committee in 2018, he was appointed Vice President of the CMA in 2022. He is passionate about engaging, organizing, and advocating for musicians, improving working conditions, and building an inclusive and welcoming union. Matthew has been a double bassist with the Calgary Philharmonic since 2007. During his time with the CPO, he has served on the Orchestra, Negotiating, and Artistic Review Committees. He is a past President of the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM), the AFM’s symphonic player conference representing 21
Canadian orchestras.
A native of Jupiter, Florida, Maxwell Stein joined the Calgary Philharmonic
Orchestra in 2019 in the position of Third Horn. Maxwell received his Bachelor
of Music degree from The University of Michigan where he studied with Adam
Unsworth and Bryan Kennedy. He also completed one‐year of study at the
Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of William
VerMeulen. Maxwell has performed with numerous orchestras including the
Detroit, Toledo, Flint, Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Ann Arbor Symphonies. He has participated in many summer institutes including The Interlochen Center for the Arts, The Banff Centre for Music, The Texas Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center in the fellowship program. A new member to the CMA Executive Committee, Maxwell hopes to connect with the union membership and foster a strong sense of community amongst musicians of Calgary, Alberta. He is a member of multiple volunteer committees of the Calgary Phil and has always sought to better the organizations he is a part of.
Tricia Edwards’ musical journey has taken many diverse paths. She earned both
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from the University of Alberta, with summer studies at the Banff Centre and Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. During this time she was a national finalist in the Canadian Music Competition and performed with
the University of Alberta Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Sinfonietta.
Tricia is now based in Calgary as a freelance musician, working as a solo artist, as leader of her own jazz trio/quartet, as a classical collaborative pianist and as the bandleader of the
salsa band “Klave.”
Her sophomore recording “Intaglios,” released January 2018, sought to blend her three musical passions for
classical, jazz, and latin genres and met with a great reception, including charting on the National Earshot jazz charts, being awarded a Gold Medal for album and composition from the Global Music Awards and winning MusicYYC’s Best Jazz Recording of the Year for 2018.
Tricia has served on the board of the Calgary Musicians’ Association since 2016, and looks forward to now
serving the membership of local 547 in the role of Secretary‐Treasurer.
Mark Scholz is a musician, arts administrator and music educator based in the city of Calgary. Born into a musical family, he had the luxury of experiencing Calgary’s music scene from an early age. Mark started learning the cello at age five and picked up the trumpet in junior high school. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Music Performance as the principal trumpet and concertmaster of the UofC’s Wind Ensemble. Throughout his career he has explored many styles of music and has performed with groups such as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony, Bach Society, Festival Chorus, Altius Brass and PrimeTime Big Band. As a chamber musician, Mark can be seen performing with his family in the Scholz Trumpet Quartet and the Scholz String Quartet.
After University, Mark gained an interest in arts administration. He completed the Rozsa Foundation/Haskayne School of Business’ two programs for Arts Management and currently spends his free time volunteering on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations.
Mark loves working with the Calgary Musicians Association to help uplift and grow the Calgary music community.
Esteban Herrera is a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader based in Calgary. A Juno Award nominee and YYC Music Award winner, he has over 30 years of professional experience as a performer, composer, producer, and educator. Esteban has released 13 albums, toured extensively across Canada, and is an active member of the Calgary music community. He is passionate about supporting musicians, fostering artistic development, and strengthening fair and sustainable working conditions for artists.
Mark Limacher is a JUNO- nominated pianist, composer, and arranger, and frequent collaborator with Theatre Calgary, the Calgary Philharmonic, and multi JUNO award winning vocalist Caity Gyorgy.
He is a graduate of New School University in New York City, and has studied with composers Bunita Marcus (NYC), Laurence Crane (London, UK), and Linda Catlin Smith (Toronto, Canada). His arrangements and orchestrations have been heard in collaboration with Caity Gyorgy, vocalist & playwright Allison Lynch, vocalist Ellen Doty, Kensington Sinfonia, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
MarkLimacher.com
Kingsley Udofia: The first thing you need to know is I absolutely love music and I’m a big advocate of using it as a tool to help transform lives for the better. This has pushed me to learn and develop ways to better shape and package the musical projects I’m involved in in southern Alberta and around North America.
I’m currently working as a Worship Director at Hopevale Bay City and it has been absolutely amazing planning and executing the worship experience every Sunday. Prior to this, you might have seen me in different Calgary projects conducting orchestras or playing the piano in front of 20,000 people. I’ve freelanced on numerous shows playing different instruments over the years. And yes, I’m one of those multi-instrumental directors x_x
I have a Bachelors degree from Capilano University and my major was Music Composition with a minor in music performance. There, I learnt about the various instruments and how to write for them. So alongside my role as a worship director, I actively engage in composing, arranging and orchestrating music for artists and organizations. As a member of the Calgary Musicians Association, and now a board member, I look forward to using my perspective on both the Calgary scene and my work in other locations to better the lives of musicians.
Sandra Sutter is a values-driven executive, award-winning recording artist, and storyteller whose work bridges leadership, culture, and creative expression. She was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA), where she works with a province-wide network of Friendship Centres advancing the well-being of off-reserve Indigenous community members in urban, rural, and remote regions across Alberta.
Sandra also serves as an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel with the 41 Signal Regiment, 3rd Canadian Division, Canadian Army, reflecting a commitment to service, stewardship, and civic leadership.
Additional to her Board service with Careers, the Next Generation and the Calgary Musicians Association, Sandra maintains an acclaimed career in music and film. As a singer-songwriter, her work spans folk, roots, jazz and Americana, earning national accolades and sync placements in film and television. Her projects explore reconciliation, resilience, and human connection. As a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), she contributes to a global network of women leaders shaping inclusive, future-focused leadership.
