Chris Thile was in London on Monday for the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, where he was nominated for Musician Of The Year. He won’t be coming home empty-handed, as his name was called to accept the trophy.

Here’s how he is described in the official BBC press release:

The sole American on this year’s nominations list, 25-year-old Chris Thile (pronounced Thee-lee) is now regarded as the greatest mandolin player in the world. He started playing the instrument at the age of five and recorded his first album when he was 13, but came to international attention in the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek. The band subsequently announced their split and Thile launched his solo career with his trailblazing album How To Grow A Woman From The Ground.

See the full list of winners on the Radio 2 web site.

Tonight’s Mike Harding Show on Radio 2 (Feb 7) will feature highlights of Monday night’s event. The shows airs live from 8:00-9:00 p.m. (local time – GMT), and the audio from the show will be available online for seven days after its broadcast.