Cris Derksen

Cris Derkson is a Two-Spirit Cree cellist and composer whose innovative oeuvre marries her Indigenous ancestry with her classical background, creating beautiful, genre-defying music.

Hailing from Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, Derksen describes her heritage as “coming from a lineage of chiefs from the North Tallcree Reserve on her father’s side and strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s.” She began playing cello at age 10 with the Edmonton Public Strings Program and is a grad of the UBC School of Music. This JUNO Award-nominated artist has since gained fame for her Orchestral Powwow project, which has the singers and drummers of the Chippewa Travellers at its centre and the powwow drum leading the orchestra rather than a conductor.

“One of the things I learned about making art is to take something you like and make it your own,” she told Musicworks Magazine. “Contemporary and traditional have always been in my brain—incorporating the traditions of my Aboriginal heritage into the new contemporary schools that I play in. It’s almost like being a jeweller making a bracelet—you’re going to pick out the stones that speak to you. So I take all these influences and create the bracelet that only I can make, because it’s my perception of the world.”

This performance marks the 20th anniversary since Cris last played the festival.

– EM