Juno nominated Cris Derksen is an Internationally respected Indigenous Cellist and Composer. Originally from Treaty 8 in Northern Alberta, she comes from NorthTall Cree Reserve on her father’s side and Mennonite homesteaders on her

mother’s.

 

Derksen braids the traditional and contemporary, weaving her classical background, her Indigenous ancestry together with electronics to create genre-

defying music. Much in demand, Derksen’s compositional strength lies in her diversity for all artistic fields. Their most recent accomplishments include a Carnegie Hall Debut with a new symphony piece commissioned by Orchestre Metropolitan’s Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a new Ballet with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Symphony and an National Geographic documentary score.

 

Derksen is the composer for the World Expo Canadian Pavilion in Japan 2025, and Dubai in 2022. Her work on the Podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's by Connie Walker and Gimlet Media won both a Pulitzer and Peabody.