Award-winning Cree composer and cellist Cris Derksen, who had strong ties to Manitoba’s arts community, has died following a car crash in northern Alberta. They were 45.
Derksen, originally from Treaty 8 territory in Alberta, composed the music for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s 2024 production of Cameron Fraser-Moore’s ballet Tel: Wild Man of the Woods. According to reports, the crash occurred while Derksen and their wife, singer Rebecca Benson, were travelling home from Derksen’s father’s funeral. Benson was reportedly left in critical condition in hospital.
In a Facebook tribute, Derksen’s aunt Theresa Johnson remembered them as a gifted artist whose legacy will endure.
Cris Derksen (Facebook)
“My extraordinary, gifted, radiant, cherished niece Cris may have left us prematurely, but her profound legacy and enchanting music will perpetually uplift me,” Johnson wrote. “There has to be a divine purpose why I had to bid farewell to her merely a week after laying my brother Bernie, her dad, to rest. She serenaded him with her cello one final time, and this poignant moment will forever be etched in my memory as a testament to her remarkable talent.”
Melody McKiver, assistant professor at the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music, described the Juno-nominated artist as “a pillar of our Indigenous classical community.”
“One of my closest friends, most important mentors, co-conspirators,” McKiver wrote on Facebook. “We’ve laughed, fought, and always always had each other’s backs. It’s been a running joke for over a decade being mistaken for each other on three (?!) different continents even though we always maintained that we don’t look alike but my cello shrank in the wash. Much to our annoyance, we became the shared face of Banff Centre programming for years and years. I love you Cris and Bobby (Rebecca).”
Beyond their work with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Derksen was also a frequent collaborator with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, including a May 2025 performance of Awasowin.
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Earlier this month, Derksen’s music was also featured in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet production The Four Seasons, which ran from April 30 to May 3.
“The Musicians of the WSO are saddened to hear of the passing of Cris Derksen,” the group said in a social media post Sunday. “We recently performed two of her works with the RWB and also collaborated with her in the pit for her ballet T’el: The Wild Man of the Woods. We feel this loss to our musical community deeply and offer our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.”
Derksen also founded the Indigenous Classical Gathering at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, served as artistic advisor for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and chaired the equity committee for Orchestras Canada.
“We know that Cris’ legacy will live on through their music, commitment to music education, championing of new works, and in establishing supports and opportunities for Indigenous artists,” the CPO said in a Facebook post Sunday. “Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone who was impacted by Cris.”
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
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