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About

Cris Derksen

Canadian Cree cellist and composer (1981–2026)

Cris Derksen

Crystal Dawn Derksen was a Canadian Cree two-spirit cellist and composer from Northern Alberta. Nominated for a Juno Award, Derksen was known for her unique musical sound which blends classical music with traditional Indigenous music. Her music is often described as "electronic cello" or classical traditional fusion.

Cris Derksen

Cris Derksen
Derksen in 2009
Born
Crystal Dawn Derksen

(1981-04-20)April 20, 1981
Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
DiedMay 15, 2026(2026-05-15) (aged 45)
near Athabasca County, Alberta, Canada
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
Occupations
  • Cellist
  • composer
WebsiteOfficial website

Crystal Dawn Derksen (April 20, 1981 – May 15, 2026) was a Canadian Cree two-spirit cellist and composer from Northern Alberta. Nominated for a Juno Award, Derksen was known for her[a] unique musical sound which blends classical music with traditional Indigenous music. Her music is often described as "electronic cello" or classical traditional fusion.[5]

Background

Crystal Dawn Derksen was born in Slave Lake on April 20, 1981.[4] She hailed from the North Tallcree reserve in Northern Alberta and had dual Cree and Mennonite heritage. She attended Victoria School for the Performing Arts in Edmonton and was trained in classical music from an early age. She received a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the University of British Columbia. During her time at UBC, she held the position of Principal Cellist with the UBC Symphony Orchestra.[6]

Derksen was killed in a traffic collision near Township Road 684 on Highway 44 in Northern Alberta on May 15, 2026. She was 45.[7][8]

Career

In 2009, Derksen was the curator in residence at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. She traveled and performed internationally in numerous countries including: Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Czech Republic, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. She performed with the Beat Nation Live Collective, Kanye West, Kinnie Starr, Tanya Tagaq, Rae Spoon, and traditional powwow groups.[9]

In 2015, the Orchestral Powwow Project album of Derksen was produced in partnership with the independent record label Tribal Spirit Powwow.[10] During the making of this album, Derksen utilized Tribal Spirit's library of powwow music as a resource and incorporated some of the traditional music found in this library in her project.[11] Also in 2015, Derksen was mentored by American musician Buffy Sainte-Marie as part of an Ontario Arts Council grant.[6]

In 2017, Derksen performed at the Annual Public Meeting of the Canada Council for the Arts with the Cris Derksen Trio which consisted of Derksen, drummer Jesse Baird and dancer Nimkii Osawamick.[12]

In 2019, the Art Gallery of Ontario commissioned Derksen to create a new choral work inspired by the Early Rubens exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario.[13] Also in 2019, Derksen composed Maada’ookii Songlines, a choral work featuring 200 singers as part of the Luminato festival.[14] Alongside Christine Tootoo and Jamie Griffiths, Derksen was part of a 2019 performance piece called Ikummagialiit, that was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada as part of the Àbadakone exhibition on Indigenous art.[15]

In 2020, Derksen performed as part of CBC Gem's Queer Pride Inside special.[16]

Musical releases

  • The Cusp (2010)
  • The Collapse (May 2013)
  • Orchestral Powwow Project (2015)[17]
  • The Visit (2025)[18]

Composer credits

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ Morrisseau, Miles (May 18, 2026). "Canada's music world 'stunned' by death of Cris Derksen". ICT. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ Smith, Charlie (May 17, 2026). "Canadian music world mourns passing of talented and forward-thinking cellist Cris Derksen". Pancouver. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ Smith, Charlie (May 17, 2026). "Canadian music world mourns passing of cellist Cris Derksen". Toronto Spark. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Wheeler, Kim (May 26, 2026). "Gifted Cree cellist Cris Derksen blazed her own path to Carnegie Hall". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  5. ↑ Derksen, Cris (2013). "Bio". Cris Derksen official website. Virb. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Dickie, Mary (Spring 2015). "Cris Derksen enhances their sonic adventure". Musicworks magazine. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  7. ↑ Morrisseau, Miles (May 18, 2026). "Canada's music world 'stunned' by death of Cris Derksen". ICT. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ Wheeler, Kim (May 26, 2026). "Gifted Cree cellist Cris Derksen created a unique path to Carnegie Hall". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ Ball, David P. (2013). "Electro cellist Cris Derksen 'pow-wow-wows' with creative blend". Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. Windspeaker. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Instrumental Album of the Year". Juno Awards. 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Cris Derksen". Ritornello Festival. 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ Lassonde, Pierre (January 17, 2017). "2017 Annual Public Meeting: Pierre Lassonde". Canada Council for the Arts. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Owen Pallett, Cris Derksen and Matt Smith compose new music for the Art Gallery of Ontario". NOW Magazine. September 18, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Terauds, John (June 21, 2019). "Luminato finale a gift to the city of Toronto". The Star. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ Saxberg, Lynn (November 7, 2019). "5 things you can't miss in Àbadakone, the National Gallery's exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  16. ↑ Knegt, Peter (June 22, 2020). "This Pride, come inside for a digital queer cabaret unlike anything else". CBC Arts. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Cellist Cris Derksen creates new genre with Orchestral Powwow". CBC.ca. CBC Radio. October 4, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Cris Derksen's New Album: THE VISIT". School of Music. November 7, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Treading Water". Wookey Films. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  20. ↑ "The Pass System (2015)". Tamarack Productions. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ Cristi, A.A. (February 13, 2019). "DanceWorks Presents Kaha:wi Dance Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  22. ↑ Fricker, Karen (October 27, 2017). "Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools powerfully connects audience to peoples and culture of the North: review". The Star. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  23. ↑ Fiddler, Willow (May 14, 2019). "DFC music student in Thunder Bay plays with city's symphony orchestra". APTN News. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  24. ↑ Cristi, A.A. (June 25, 2018). "Toronto Theatre Celebrated at the 2018 Dora Awards! Winners Announced!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved July 23, 2018.

Notes

  1. ↑ While it was widely reported that Derksen used she/they pronouns,[1][2][3] her obituary on The Globe and Mail stated that Derksen used she/her pronouns but "didn’t mind" being referred to as they.[4] This article will use she/her pronouns for consistency.