Cellist Cris Derksen brings ‘Controlled Burn’ to the Jack Singer

Ian White speaks with Cris Derksen, who will perform at Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall on March 15, 2025.

Cellist Cris Derksen brings her original work, titled Controlled Burn, to the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Saturday, March 15 with the Calgary Philharmonic.

But she’s played it in a bigger venue – Carnegie Hall.

“I didn’t think it was attainable and so to have that moment was really mind blowing,” Derksen told CTV News.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Half Cree and half Mennonite, Derksen’s work reflects her Indigenous background in what she calls a “braiding” of First Nations culture and classical music.

Derksen also ignores the formalities of classical music and plays barefoot, manipulating pedals that bring different sounds to her carbon-fiber cello.

“My toes are quite busy. I’m constantly changing the effects of what I’m doing,” Derksen said.