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’s composition strength lies in her diversity for all artistic fields including: Dance, Theatre, Film, Television, Animation, Fashion, Podcasts, Symphonic, Chamber, Choral, and Installations. She performs as soloist-composer for Symphonies and Chamber Orchestras across Canada and has been commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony and Orchestre Metropolitan- Yannick Nézet-Séguin. In 2022 Derksen was the composer for the Canadian Pavilion for the World Expo in Dubai. Her work on the Podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s by Connie Walker and Gimlet media won both a Pulitzer and Peabody. Upcoming engagements include Carnegie Hall, A collaboration with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and being the composer for the Canadian Pavilion for the World Expo in Osaka in 2025. Derksen is always up for the challenge of bringing an Indigenous perspective to all aspects of sonic storytelling.