Our Team

Ryan, a white man with shoulder-length blond hair, wears a black jean jacket over a red and black striped shirt and sunglasses. He flashes a peace sign.

Ryan Rathjen

Purple City’s Executive Director, Ryan Rathjen has worked in the music industry for over 20 years as a musician, booking agent, talent buyer & venue manager. As the longest-sitting board member of Purple City & Up+Dt, Ryan has made significant impact on the non-profit. In 2020, he led the festival’s rebranding, with a vision of collaboration within the community to inspire youth and showcase latest sounds in underground and alternative music. Ushering Purple City through the pandemic, the festival re-surfaced with smashing success in 2021.

In his role at Purple City, Ryan coordinates all aspects of the non-profit and festival activities, from talent-buying, branding & design, to community partnerships, marketing and volunteer support. Outside of Purple City, Ryan is a long-time volunteer and host of CJSR 88.5 FM’s award-winning radio-show, Phased Out that specializes in giving a platform to unheard-of and breaking artists from Canada & around the globe.

Andrea, a light skinned woman with black-framed glasses and blonde hair, wearing a band t-shirt, smiles up at the camera. She sits at a table, holding a beer.

Andrea Taylor

Andrea, Purple City’s Team Coordinator, has been volunteering with the festival since 2015. After her first year of taking tickets at the door, she moved into the artist check-in and later became volunteer coordinator. Now she oversees multiple teams including venue, artist, volunteer, hotel and transportation. 

Andrea first got involved in the music and arts community when she moved into a log house in Grandin where she hosted various live music and community events over 15 years.

She has a master’s degree in social work from Dalhousie University, and her day job is with Alberta Health as a social worker in critical care.

Rocky, a light-skinned woman with dark curly hair smiles at the camera. She wears red earrings and a dark sleeveless shirt.

Rocky Mann

Raquel (Rocky) Mann is the Planning & Communications Director at Purple City Music Festival and in her day job as a librarian, leads the public library’s city-wide music initiative, Capital City Records (CCR) in Edmonton, Canada. She also teaches copyright and intellectual property at the University of Alberta, and yells in two punk bands. What ties all this together is a passion for cultivating disruptive arts, ethical technologies, and informed and connected music communities.

Leah, a smiling white woman with pink-framed glasse, dark wavy hair, and a gold headband, smiles at the camera. She wears a gold-sequin blazer.

Leah Brochu

Leah Brochu is the friendly face working behind the scenes as the Volunteer Coordinator for Purple City Music Festival. Her journey into this world began when she lent a hand to a friend on the board with a simple spreadsheet. This small start led to stocking drinks at the bar the next year, then scanning tickets at unforgettable shows, and ultimately taking on the role of Volunteer Coordinator.

Emily Moore

Emily Moore brings a unique blend of creativity, hustle, and heart to the board. With a BFA in Arts and Cultural Management, she’s worn many hats — from booking and promoting concerts to working at the box office, selling merch, and helping run a distillery. Her background also spans the motorcycle and salon industries, adding even more color to her multifaceted career in arts and culture. Emily is passionate about building vibrant, accessible creative communities. Outside of work, she’s happiest digging in the garden, discovering new music, or hanging out with her very good dog. She believes in community, curiosity, and making things happen.