Cris Derksen
Nice and Clean
for piano, cello, and audio clips
About the work
“With this I wanted to create a piece of music that showcases white folks talking about Indigenous folks. The audio comes from a 1967 Documentary called Elliot Lake talking about relocation of “indians” from reserves to the town of Elliot Lake in Northern Ontario.” -Cris Derksen
SPECS
Duration:
6'
Movements:
N/A
Instrumentation:
Piano/Cello/Audio clips
Tech:
Will need a computer and a speaker to play Audio Clips. Also someone who reads music to trigger the clips
BACKGROUND
Date of composition:
2021
Commissionner:
New Music Edmonton
Performances:
Premiere: February 2021, Edmonton
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Juno nominated Cris Derksen, originally from Northern Alberta, Canada, is an internationally respected Indigenous cellist and composer. Derksen braids the traditional and contemporary, weaving her classical background and her Indigenous ancestry together with new school electronics to create genre-defying music. As a composer she has her foot in many worlds working in choral, symphonic, film, theatre and dance, with a new commission from the Calgary Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra premiering in 2020. As a performer Derksen performs nationally and internationally. Recent destinations include Hong Kong, Australia, Mongolia, Europe, Mexico and a whole lot of Canada: the place Derksen refers to as home.