Anna Lapwood made history when, at 21, she became the youngest-ever director of music for an Oxford or Cambridge college. As the Janeway Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, she made three albums and two EPs with the school’s choirs — including the Pembroke College Girls’ Choir, which she founded. So it was newsworthy when Lapwood revealed that, after serving for a decade in the prestigious post, she was leaving Pembroke to focus on her career as a concert organist.
Her captivating new album, Firedove, affirms the soundness of that decision with an unexpected and utterly compelling mix of music, from Vierne to Robbie Williams to Hans Zimmer. It’s another act of outreach for Lapwood, who was recently designated the first-ever official Organist of the Royal Albert Hall. She has been a tireless advocate for the instrument, in performance and on social media, where she originated the viral hashtag #playlikeagirl.
A gifted natural communicator, Lapwood shares her life and her music with fans around the world — and welcomes people to classical music with enthusiasm and genuine joy. I recently had a chance to chat with her over Zoom between rehearsals and meetings as she prepared for a sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert. It was a delight to talk with her about her very personal new album, the decision to devote herself to her organ career, and what it means to put oneself first in pursuit of a life in music on one’s own terms.
Anna Lapwood releases Firedove on May 30; preorder here.
