Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen remembered by Calgary music scene

Cris Derksen speaks to CTV News' Ian White on March 12, 2025.

Juno-nominated, Alberta-born cellist and composer Cris Derksen is being remembered by many in Calgary’s music scene for her musical prowess and ability to foster community among musicians.

Derksen’s management team said she died in a car accident on Saturday. She was 45.

The cellist, who was half Cree and half Mennonite, hailed from Treaty 8 in northern Alberta and split her time between there and Edmonton growing up.

She was acclaimed and performed all over the world, with recent concerts in Japan, Norway, Chile, Hong Kong, Australia, Mongolia and throughout Europe.

Trained in classical music, Derksen’s work straddled many genres, including folk, electronica, pop and traditional Indigenous music.

She performed her piece Controlled Burn, which simulates the sound of a managed fire used by Indigenous people to clear forest debris and protect trees, at Carnegie Hall in New York City last year.

“I never dreamed I would actually make it to Carnegie Hall. I didn’t think it was attainable,” Derksen told CTV News’ Ian White in an interview last year.

“To have that moment, it was really mind-blowing.”

Through all the travel her career brought, Derksen maintained a close relationship with Calgary over the years. She performed at the Calgary Folk Festival several times in recent years and was slated to perform at the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival in June.

Sled Island said it was “devastated” to learn of Derksen’s passing.

“We are deeply honoured to have included her in this year’s lineup and feel an immense loss to the Canadian music scene,” the festival wrote.

“Thank you, Cris Derksen, for being a beacon of light in the classical music landscape as a composer, performer and mentor.”

Kerry Clarke, who is the artistic and marketing director with the Calgary Folk Festival, remembered Derksen as an “innovative, brilliant player and human” who could perform alongside any musician.

“She was...very much a utility player,” Clarke said.

That diversity, Clarke said, made her a critical anchor in some of the festival’s collaborative sessions — something Clarke described as a curated jam session between musicians that play similar styles.

One of those performances came when Vancouver-based indie rock band Lightning Dust was slated to perform in their first collaborative session.

“I know they were a little bit nervous about doing the sessions, but when I learned that Cris would be playing with them, I knew they were in good hands,” Clarke said.

Derksen also had a long relationship with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, where she served as artistic adviser from 2021 until her death.

Andrea Davison, who is the director of artistic and education at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, also remembered Derksen as a “hugely respected mentor and advocate for the arts world.”

“Regardless of where she was, or who she was making music with or who she was connecting with, she was always building community wherever she went in the most genuine way,” Davison said.

— with files from CTV’s Ian White