Anna Lapwood is an organist, conductor and broadcaster. When she was 21, Lapwood became the youngest ever director of music for an Oxbridge college when she landed the role at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Lapwood was born in Hertfordshire in 1995. She studied at Oxford High School and the Junior Royal Academy of Music in London, before attending Magdalene College, Oxford. She was the first female organ scholar in the college’s 560-year history.
She achieved a first class honours degree, and at the age of 21 became director of music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, making history as the youngest ever person to be a director of music at Oxbridge.
As a conductor, Lapwood directs Pembroke College’s Chapel Choir, and founded the Pembroke College Girls’ Choir for local school-aged girls in 2018.
Lapwood runs an annual ‘Bach-a-thon’ for organists, and an annual organ workshop for girls called the Cambridge Organ Experience for Girls.
As well as the organ, Lapwood plays the piano, violin, viola and harp, and as a choral singer she has appeared in high profile concerts and recordings by Gareth Malone’s ensemble, Voices.
She is also a broadcaster and presenter, appearing on music programmes on TV and on the radio.
In September 2021, Lapwood released her debut solo album, a recording of her own organ transcription of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Four Sea Interludes’ from Peter Grimes, on Signum Records.
Did you know? In 2019, Lapwood opened the BAFTA TV awards, playing the organ at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
