The ceremony, which was held at the Academy earlier today, presented fellowships to a range of musicians who were deemed to have excelled in their respective areas.

The citation for Jones, who attended the Royal Academy in the early 1990s after having found fame as the singer of ‘Walking In The Air’, complimented his ability to sustain his musical career beyond his early fame.
“Aled’s formative years were spent as a famous treble, performing in major venues, and releasing award-winning records, no doubt to the delight of countless mothers worldwide,” the citation read.

“When Aled arrived at the Academy, his voice long-since broken, he was raring to go with a fresh set of goals and challenges ahead of him.”

Joyce DiDonato was described at the event as “the ruling queen of opera’s bel canto.”