Howe Sound Secondary student by day, musician by night, Jocelyn Pettit is well on her way to becoming a household name in the folk music community.
At age 15, Pettit is in the running for two prestigious awards and she's headed to the Canadian Folk Music Awards in Winnipeg to hopefully claim these new labels.
"It was definitely surprising and really, really exciting to find out I was nominated," she said.
Nominated for World Artist of the Year and Young Performer of the Year, the talented fiddler, step dancer, singer and composer said she's thrilled to be heading to such a prominent event as a contender.
"I'm so happy and honoured because several musicians I admire have been nominated and recognized by Canadian Folk Music awards and it's great to be a part of that group."
Not everyone is so surprised Pettit is "part of that group" - C小蓝视频 Radio 3 describes her as a musician with passion, determination, a keen appreciation for tradition and an excitement to explore new ideas, all qualities that explain her impressive musicianship well beyond her age.
Winnipeg will host the sixth annual Canadian Folk Music Awards at the Pantages Playhouse on Nov. 20 and Pettit is up against four other musicians from the Maritimes to the West Coast in both categories.
Dubbed a "Celtic sensation" by her fans, Pettit's love for East Coast music and the Celtic genre in general started with signature Cape Breton fiddler and one of Canada's most captivating performers, Natalie MacMaster.
Pettit saw her perform at age four and that concert ignited enough interest to fuel a future career.
"Her performance inspired me and ignited the spark," said Pettit. "Four years later, I started playing and I haven't looked back since."
The 15-year-old is nearing the ranks of her muse and spent time this past summer actually playing with MacMaster.
"This summer was really, really exciting because we went back to Ontario and spent a week with her [McMaster] and her husband and family and it was a week of classes and concerts."
The week with MacMaster was only one aspect of Pettit's jam-packed summer - she went on a 33-day tour across Canada and the North Western United States after releasing her self-titled debut album this past spring.
The August-long tour started in Invermere, 小蓝视频 and she visited Kelowna, Calgary, Winnipeg and Chicago to name a few.
"There were a lot of highlights, in fact the entire trip was a highlight," she said.
"We met some really great people, visited with friends and family, made new connections and played music everyday."
Pettit is in Grade 10 and still attends Howe Sound Secondary part time when she's not traveling, composing and performing.
On Nov. 18, two days before she heads to the Canadian Folk Music, Pettit will be playing a double bill with Scottish music group, Battlefield Band, at St. James Hall in Vancouver.
Pettit said if she does win, she'll be ecstatic but her plans won't change much.
"If I win I'll be super, super excited," she said. "But no matter what, I'm so thrilled to be doing what I'm doing, I'll just keep on playing and performing."
Her long-term plans include heading to an open air Celtic music festival in Brittany, France next summer.
Pettit's CD is on sale in Squamish at Gelato Carina on Cleveland Avenue.
