THE choral director and voice coach Islwyn Evans received the TH Parry-Williams Memorial Medal at the National Eisteddfod.

The medal was presented to him in a special ceremony on the Pavilion stage on Tuesday.

Tributes were paid to him and as a finale 130 former pupils came to thank him for his efforts. Islwyn led the choir in a song.

Evans has led choirs in Wales for over 40 years. He began his career as a musician, paying particular attention to nurturing the voices of young people, while a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Subsequently, he received the British Federation Youth Choir Leader award, and a Winston Churchill Scholarship and travelled to Sweden and Hungary to study the art of training children's choirs.

He founded Dyffryn Teifi Youth Choir in 1985 before establishing Ysgol Gerdd Ceredigion in 1993.

The choir continues to develop the musical, instrumental and vocal skills of young people under the voluntary guidance of Islwyn

.He said it was a privilege and an honour to receive the medal and that he had enjoyed the company of the young people and had the opportunity to nurture their musical talents.

He said: "For me it has been a fantastic journey. The desire was in the young people to participate and to compete and it has been a privilege to be with them.

"It is a great honour to receive the medal and what the award means and those who have received it throughout the years.”

Under his care, Ysgol Gerdd Ceredigion has won the Cór Cymru title three times and has come top in the choral competitions of the National Eisteddfod and the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

With the first generation of the Ysgol Gerdd keen to continue singing, he founded Cywair Mixed Choir in 2003.

The choir went on to win the Cór Cymru top prize twice and the Cór y Byd title at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in 2005.

When presenting Islwyn Evans' nomination for the honour, Iwan Griffiths said: "It is impossible to measure the endless hours that Islwyn puts in without asking for a single penny.

By holding rehearsals without charging a fee, he removes financial barriers that often prevent young people from having access to a high quality musical education.

"What is offered within the Ysgol Gerdd Ceredigion community is also more than vocal training. It provides a safe space where children and young people build confidence, have an opportunity to express themselves, and develop a sense of belonging."

The TH Parry Williams Memorial Medal was presented for the first time at the Cardigan National Eisteddfod in 1976. To celebrate the occasion some of the former recipients were invited to a special event on the Maes.