Esteban Herrera
Jazz Piano Faculty
Esteban Herrera is an award-winning pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator based in Calgary, Canada. With over 30 years of professional experience, he brings an international artistic perspective and more than 15 years of teaching experience to Mount Royal University Conservatory.
A 2022 JUNO Award nominee and two-time YYC Music Award winner, Herrera has developed a distinctive voice in contemporary jazz, blending Latin American musical traditions with modern improvisation, sophisticated harmony, and rhythmic exploration. His achievements include the 2023 YYC Music Award for World/Cultural Recording of the Year and the 2026 YYC Music Award for Jazz Recording of the Year for Winter Fire.
Herrera holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz Music Performance, a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences, and a technical degree in piano. Having lived in Mexico, Spain, Germany, and Canada, he draws on a broad range of musical and cultural influences. As a bandleader, he has released 13 albums and performed at jazz festivals across Canada, including Montreal, Victoria, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. He is a voting member of the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy.
As a jazz piano instructor, Herrera specializes in improvisation, jazz harmony, music theory, composition, arranging, and contemporary musical interpretation. His teaching connects technical development and theoretical understanding with the practical experience of an active performer, composer, and recording artist. He has also served as a clinician with Mount Royal University Conservatory.
Herrera is especially passionate about mentoring dedicated students who want to deepen their understanding of jazz, expand their improvisational vocabulary, strengthen their compositional skills, and develop an individual artistic voice. His personalized approach encourages independent musical thinking, curiosity, discipline, and the balance between musical structure and creative freedom.
At Mount Royal University Conservatory, he aims to help students grow not only as pianists, but as thoughtful, confident, and expressive musicians.