bio

Stefani MacKichan is a Calgary-based drummer and educator with over two decades of professional experience in performance, touring, and private instruction. A versatile and dynamic musician, she has built a reputation as one of Western Canada’s most skilled and intuitive drummers. Known for her precision, adaptability, and sharp musical instincts, she has performed across genres including jazz, reggae, rock, country, metal, funk, and folk. She is a first-call drummer for both live and studio sessions throughout Alberta and beyond.
Obsessed from a young age with drums, music transcription, technique, independence, and mastering time, Stefani began performing regularly in her early teens. Throughout the 2000s, she toured North America coast-to-coast with heavy rock bands. In 2009, she co-founded the acclaimed doom metal duo Mares of Thrace. Their 2012 album The Pilgrimage, recorded by Sanford Parker at Engine Studios in Chicago and released on Sonic Unyon Records, received international praise and a Polaris Prize nomination. Her drumming on the album was highlighted by Pitchfork, Decibel, and Terrorizer for its precision, innovation, and intensity.
Today, Stefani works as a freelance musician for both studio recordings and live performances. Her flexibility and musicality have made her a go-to collaborator across a wide range of musical contexts. Whether on stage or in the studio, Stefani brings creativity, consistency, and professionalism to every project.
She is a mainstay of Calgary’s music scene, performing regularly with the rock band Virago, who host one of the city’s most popular weekly jam nights at The Blues Can—an inclusive, high-energy event that fosters emerging local talent. She is also a member of the Calgary Women’s Jazz Orchestra (CWJO), a premier ensemble of the city’s top female jazz musicians that mentors young players through the annual Girls in Jazz workshop.
Stefani further showcases her genre-crossing versatility by performing with Ras Baggas’ Roots Hardcore, one of Calgary’s most prominent reggae bands known for their authentic and powerful live shows. She also performs with rising country artist Ashley Garrett, contributing a dynamic rhythmic foundation to her modern country sound
An experienced educator, Stefani began teaching in 2005 at Calgary’s Music Makers Studio, where she quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after drum instructors. By 2012, she transitioned to private practice, teaching from her well-equipped dual-drum-kit home studio in Montgomery. Drawing on her extensive experience as a performer, her teaching style combines technical precision, creative exploration, and a student-centered approach. Her students range from absolute beginners to pre-professional players, all united by a supportive and engaging learning environment.
Outside the music world, Stefani is also a practicing Registered Nurse, holding a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Royal University. She is an avid student of entomology and botany, and brings the same passion for learning and curiosity to her scientific interests as she does to her music.