Orchestral Pow-Wow Collaboration Concert – Saturday, July 9 at 5:00pm
The Concert Bowl Stage

Every year, thanks in part to a generous Grant from the B.C. Arts Council, the Island Music Festival is able to bring in a group of performers early before the Festival so they can work together to create a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration just for the weekend. These collaborations often become life-changing experiences for the Artists involved creating new life-long friendships and musical partnerships and for our audiences, well, don’t miss the opportunity to witness such a creative endeavour!

This years collaboration leader is the amazing Cris Derksen and her (already genre-bending collaborative) group, the Orchestral Pow Wow.

Cris Derksen plays with the intensity of a young musician who’s living the dream of creating new music and getting the chance to bring live to people. At the same time, the “new music” she’s creating is based in centuries and even millenia of the Metis and Aboriginal culture across Canada. Cris Derksen’s one more living proof that the Metis and Aboriginal cultures in Canada are living traditions- thriving, vibrant and very much engaged in the modern world, and it’s a pleasure to welcome the Orchestral Pow-wow to the Festival.

For more information, go to:

Members of the Orchestral Pow Wow at MusicFest will include :

Cris Derksen – Group Leader/Cellist The Chippewa Travellers – Pow Wow Drum Circle

Nimkii Osawamick – an Anishinaabe dance artist from Wikwemikong

Vocals – Jennifer Kreisberg – Vocals

Percussionist – Jesse Baird – Percussionist
Violin – Elyse
Violin – Daniel Lapp
Viola – Ernie Kassian
Trumpet – Dean Boland
French Horn – Heather Walker
Trombone – Christopher Spidel

Cris and the Orchestral Pow Wow will be joined by the following artists as part of their evening stage collaborative performance at MusicFest:

Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin
Kaumakaiwa & Kekuhi Keliʻikanakaʻole with Shawn Pimental

Daniel Lapp
Jess Lee

When not performing music professionally, Heather Walker teaches the Alexander Technique to individuals who want to be free of tension, pain, bad posture, and injuries.  Explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement using the Alexander Technique to expand your awareness.  Use practical experiments to learn how to notice tightening, release muscle tension, re-establish better balance and move more efficiently.  Anyone can learn to recuperate from stress, prevent undue wear and tear, relieve back pain, improve posture, and use less effort in daily activities