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WINNIPEG
When Wesley Hardisty realized the nominees were being called for his category at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards he closed his eyes and held onto his chair.

Wesley Hardisty of Fort Simpson won the best fiddle CD category at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards in Winnipeg on Nov. 1. - photo courtesy of Ellie Langford Parks

"The next thing I knew they called my name," he said.

With his debut album entitled 12:12 the young fiddler from Fort Simpson won the best fiddle CD category at the awards ceremony in Winnipeg on Nov. 1.

"It's really just a thrilling and honourable thing," he said.

After hearing his name announced as winner, Hardisty rose from his chair, made his way onto the stage and gave the acceptance speech that he'd prepared in advance, just in case. Hardisty had been trying not to get his hopes up about the possibility of winning the award.

"I thought there was no chance for me," he said.

To his knowledge, Hardisty, 19, was the youngest of the five nominees for the award. Some of the other contenders are musicians that he looks up to.

Speaking from Salt Spring Island, B.C., where he currently lives, Hardisty thanked all the voters and his supporters who took the time to vote for him and any other artists they supported. Hardisty also thanked his manager Ellie Langford Parks and the NWT Arts Council, which funded the album.

12:12 took shape over the course of 2010 and was released in May 2011. It contains 10 tracks, five of which Hardisty either wrote or co-wrote.

Hardisty performed one of the songs from the album, The Aftermath, live during the second night of the music awards. Langford Parks had arranged in advance to have Hardisty perform.

"It was quite successful," he said.

The rehearsal was more intimidating and nerve-wracking than the actual performance, he said. After an introduction by actor Lorne Cardinal, Hardisty, who was standing in the aisle, fiddled his way up the stairs and onto the stage.

"I was really just happy in the moment," he said.

Since stepping off the stage on Nov. 1, Hardisty said he's been receiving congratulations. He's also had some requests for autographs and to pose for photos.

"It was nice and flattering," he said.

Having met with such early success, Hardisty has already thought about what to do next.

"I'm just going to keep working hard and keep practicing and see what other opportunities are out there," he said.

Hardisty will soon be working on a new album that may be released in the fall of 2013. This semester he is also working as a teacher's assistant for a music composition course at the Gulf Islands Secondary School, the school he graduated from last spring.

Teaching is something that Hardisty hopes to do more of in the future. He also thanked the Kole Crook Fiddle Association for getting him started fiddling, helping him get lessons from different teachers and for giving him some of the skills to teach fiddling.

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