'I didn't think I could get there': Q&A with Treaty 8 composer performing at Carnegie Hall
An Indigenous cellist and composer from northern Alberta is getting ready for her debut at a world-renowned venue in New York.
Cris Derksen, originally from Tallcree First Nation, located about 520 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, is a Juno-nominated cellist and composer who incorporates traditional Indigenous music in her pieces.
On March 6, she will make her New York debut. She will perform her composition, Controlled Burn, alongside the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal at Carnegie Hall — a century-old concert hall, considered one of America's most prestigious.
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"I am beyond honoured and a little bit gobsmacked as an Indigenous cellist growing up in Edmonton. Carnegie Hall was one of those things that was unattainable, something I didn't even put on my bucket list because I didn't think I could get there. So, to have this experience is really mind-blowing."
"It's super unreal. I really love this piece. It's called Controlled Burn and it's about fires. We understand how, in Alberta, the forest fires have really devastated the land, and I feel like this piece is really, really dramatic and energetic. I think it has a good message."
more
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/cris-derksen-composer-alberta-carnegie-hall-1.7123085
Great read, imo.