A GLASGOW music student was awarded a major jazz scholarship at a ceremony in London.

Pianist Utsav Lal, who studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, was given a Yamaha Jazz Scholarship at the annual Summer Jazz event, held at Portcullis House.

The 21-year-old was selected along with six other young musicians from across the country to receive the £1000 scholarship, along with the opportunity to record his own music.

Dubbed the 'Raga Pianist,' he has been praised for his innovative handling of the Indian classical music, which he has performed at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

He has already won many fans in the jazz world, with Corrado Beldi, director of Italy's Novara Jazz Festival, describing his work with Irish and Scottish traditional musicians as 'illuminating grace'.

Utsav was recently awarded the TiE-Apire Young Indian Achiever award.

He was also the first musician to play the piano at the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, India's oldest classical music festival.

Speaking after picking up his prize, Utsav said: "It's amazing, my friend won the competition last year and to get the call from my teacher to say I had won this year was unbelievable."