Anna Lapwood Keynote Speaker
- Musician, organist and conductor - Winner of the 2023 Game Changer Award from Royal Philharmonic Society
- Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge
- Bringing classical music to the world, with 500k+ followers on Tik Tok
Anna Lapwood's Biography
Anna Lapwood is an organist, conductor and broadcaster. She holds the position of Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge. To many, she is also known as the Tik Tok Organist as she has more than 700,000 followers who have seen and enjoyed her videos and music on this platform.
Anna is an outstanding protagonist for her instrument, the organ. She is a natural communicator and reaches a huge audience through her concerts and via social media with over 1 million followers across all platforms, amassing tens of millions of views in a short space of time. Anna’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 organised an annual 24-hour ‘Bachathon’ for charity.
In 2022, she was appointed Associate Artist of the Royal Albert Hall and Ambassador of the Cathedral Music Trust. In 2023, Anna was awarded an Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music and the prestigious ‘Gamechanger’ Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society, also signing to SONY Classical as an exclusive recording artist.
A strong advocate for music education at home and abroad, she specialises in bringing music and music education to children of all backgrounds. Each year, Anna visits Zambia to deepen her special musical connection with children and young adults. Her commitment to equality and diversity is evident in almost every aspect of her life and work; Anna has commissioned 20 works by female composers within a two-year period
Making her debut for the BBC Proms as a soloist in Saint-Saëns ‘Organ Symphony’ with The Hallé conducted by Sir Mark Elder in 2021, Anna regularly performs with leading symphony orchestras. She has also guested at Classic FM Live and collaborated with Alison Balsom, Bonobo and Benedict Cumberbatch. Highlights of 2023/4 include concerts on the East and West coast of the United States including her recital debut with the LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, also performing with The Hallé, the London Mozart Players, and hosting the Royal Albert Hall’s ‘Organ Celebration’.
Anna’s debut solo organ album ‘Images’ was released on Signum Records in 2021 and features her transcription for organ of Britten’s ‘Four Sea Interludes’ from “Peter Grimes”. Three further albums with The Choirs of Pembroke College have also been released on Signum to great acclaim. Under Anna’s direction, the Choirs guested on ‘To Shiver the Sky’ on Decca with multi-Grammy-winning composer, Christopher Tin, recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Signing exclusively to SONY in 2023, the relationship launched with an EP – ‘Midnight Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall’ – to be followed by a new album.
Making her TV presenting debut hosting coverage of BBC Young Musician, she went on to present a televised Prom from the Royal Albert Hall. In 2022, she served as Chair of the Jury for BBC Young Musician and an adjudicator for the televised Welsh choral competition, Côr Cymru. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 alongside independent stations and has been featured in multiple global television and radio programmes and podcasts.
‘Gregoriana’ – an anthology of 12 new organ pieces by female composers, curated and edited by Anna for Stainer & Bell – was awarded Presto Music’s Publication of the Year in 2022.
Anna Lapwood's Speaking Topics
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Leading with passion and purpose
Finding the work you love and bringing people on your journey
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Pushing boundaries
Learning from setbacks as well as to celebrate successes.
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Learning Resilience
Combining natural drive with ways to dig deeper and to achieve challenging goals.