Longwood Debut
Celebrated for her brilliant playing, an online audience of more than one million social media followers, and dedication to supporting girls and women in music, organist, conductor, and broadcaster Anna Lapwood MBE is Director of Music at Pembroke College (Cambridge), Associate Artist of the Royal Albert Hall (London), and Artist in Association with the BBC Singers.
Program
- Time from Inception - Hans Zimmer trans. Lapwood
- Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes - Benjamin Britten arr. Lapwood
- The Bells of Notre Dame from Hunchback of Notre Dame - Alan Menken trans. Lapwood
Lapwood is a terrific protagonist for her instrument, the organ. She is a natural communicator and reaches a huge audience through her concerts and via social media with more than one million followers across all platforms, amassing tens of millions of views in a short space of time. Lapwood’s passion for the organ is matched by her mission to support girls and women in music. She was the first female in Magdalen College Oxford’s 560-year history to be awarded the Organ Scholarship and since then has run regular organ workshops for young players around the country, hosted the Cambridge Organ Experience for Girls, and organized an annual 24-hour “Bachathon” to raise money to support musicians in Zambia.
Lapwood was awarded an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music and the prestigious Gamechanger Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2023. As a broadcaster, she made her TV presenting debut on BBC Young Musician (also serving as Chair of the Jury in 2022), has hosted a televised Prom and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 3 and 4. She became Ambassador of the Cathedral Music Trust in 2022. Lapwood runs the annual Cambridge Organ Experience for Girls and in 2022, curated and edited Gregoriana for Stainer & Bell, an anthology of 12 new organ pieces by female composers which was awarded Presto Music’s Publication of the Year. Following four successful albums on Signum Classics, Lapwood signed to SONY Classical in 2023, releasing an EP Midnight Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall, followed by the number 1 album LUNA in September.
A strong advocate for music education at home and abroad, Lapwood is dedicated to bringing music to children of all backgrounds. Her commitment to equality and diversity is evident in almost every aspect of her life and work, and new music that she has commissioned features in her recitals across Europe and North America. Her own compositions are published by Boosey & Hawkes.
