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CRIS DERKSEN

CRIS DERKSEN

Biography

Aboriginal cellist Cris Derksen is known for building layers of sound into captivating performances. Her music braids the traditional and contemporary in multiple dimensions, weaving her traditional classical training and her aboriginal ancestry with new school electronics, creating genre defying music.

Cris released her sophomore solo album in May 2013. On “The Collapse” she delves further into electronic cello pieces while staying true to her cinematic flair. The Collapse is an album motivated by personal relationships and the environmental concerns that Canadians face as the dependency of energy changes the face of Canada and the world. The 13 track album features Derksen’s own compositions with Joy on Drums and guest artist Kinnie Starr.

Derksen’s 2010 debut album “The Cusp” was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award, and won the 2011 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. She was honoured with funding from First Tracks, to make POW WOW WOW, an APTN Music Video, released in early 2012.

Recent composer credits include NeoIndeginA (Kahawi Dance – 2013), 8th Fire (4-part television mini-series – CBC – 2012); TransMigration (Kahawi Dance – 2012); People of a Feather (feature film – Joel Heath and the Community of Sanikiluaq – 2011).

Cris has toured nationally and internationally as a solo artist and performing with numerous artists. Some performances internationally include: Women in (e)motion (Germany), Future En Seine (France), WOMEX (Spain), SXSW (Texas), Riddu Riddu (Norway), Respect Festival, Colors of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Barroquisimo (Mexico), MADE festival (Sweden), and Woodford Festival (Australia).

Back home, Derksen is seen on the festival circuit including: Vancouver Island Music Fest, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Regina Folk Festival, Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards, Frostbite Festival, Salmon Arm Roots and Blues, Harrison Music Festival, Rifflandia, Dawson City Music Festival, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Calgary Folk Music Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Planet Indigenous, JunoFest, the Western Canadian Music Awards, the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Cris DerksenCris Derksen originally comes from Northern Alberta. There is a line of chiefs from North Tall Cree reserve on her Fathers side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s side.

Cris obtained a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the University of British Columbia and shared the title of Principal Cellist with the UBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 she was recognized by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network as one of its rising stars and The Georgia Straight’s “Who to Watch”.

“It’s not every night you see a cellist pack a club dance floor. But Cris Derksen is not just another classically trained musician bowing away in the background. Kicking out electronic beats and using her loop station and pedal board to bring the noise, the UBC grad is building an international reputation for invention, session work and performance.”
– The Vancouver Province

Official Website:
www.crisderksen.virb.com

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About The Author

MUSKRAT Magazine

MUSKRAT is an on-line Indigenous arts, culture magazine that honours the connection between humans and our traditional ecological knowledge by exhibiting original works and critical commentary. MUSKRAT embraces both rural and urban settings and uses media arts, the Internet, and wireless technology to investigate and disseminate traditional knowledges in ways that inspire their reclamation.

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