Firedove Anna Lapwood

• Anonymous: The Bells of Nidaros Cathedral:
• 1 Anonymous: The Bells of Nidaros Cathedral 00:23
• Alan Menken (b. 1949): The Bells of Notre Dame (From "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" Soundtrack):
• 2 Menken: The Bells of Notre Dame (From "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" Soundtrack) 07:48
• Hans Zimmer (b. 1957): Time (From "Inception" Soundtrack):
• 3 Zimmer: Time (From "Inception" Soundtrack) 05:10
• Rachel Portman (b. 1960): Flight - Intro:
• 4 Portman: Flight - Intro 00:35
• Flight:
• 5 Portman: Flight 04:34
• Olivia Belli: Limina Luminis:
• 6 Belli: Limina Luminis 06:06
• Julie Cooper (b. 1964): Firedove:
• 7 Cooper: Firedove 05:06
• Ivo Antognini (b. 1963): Come to Me:
• 8 Antognini: Come to Me 05:46
• Bob Dylon (b. 1941): Make You Feel My Love:
• 9 Dylon: Make You Feel My Love 03:41
• Robbie Williams (b. 1974), Guy Chambers (b. 1963): Angels:
• 10 Williams, Chambers: Angels 04:13
• Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978): Northern Lights:
• 11 Gjeilo: Northern Lights 04:49
• Poppy Ackroyd (b. 1982): Murmurations:
• 12 Ackroyd: Murmurations 05:17
• Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937): Naïades:
• 13 Vierne: Naïades 05:33
• Hania Rani (b. 1990): Glass:
• 14 Rani: Glass 04:01
• Maurice Duruflé (1902 - 1986): Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op. 7:
• 15 Duruflé: Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op. 7: I. Prelude 07:36
• 16 Duruflé: Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op. 7: II. Fugue 05:37
• Total Runtime 01:16:15

Info for Firedove

One of the most gifted and visionary artists of her generation, Anna Lapwood, will release her brand-new album, Firedove, on May 30th on Sony Classical. It is the follow-up to her acclaimed album "Luna."

The lead track is the captivating "Limina Luminis," commissioned for and first performed at the 2023 BBC Proms, composed for Anna by Italian composer Olivia Belli.

“This piece was part of my first solo recital at the BBC Proms, and I’ve played it in nearly every concert since, because I love it so much.” Anna says.

Already renowned for introducing the organ to new generations of music fans through her extraordinary interpretations of both classical and contemporary works, Anna Lapwood has become known to millions through viral TikTok videos, high-profile collaborations and sold-out live concerts.

Anna recorded her new album "Firedove" through the night at Nidaros Cathedral, a spectacular Gothic masterpiece founded in the 11th century in Trondheim, Norway.

“I wanted to create an album where the listener doesn’t quite know where it’s going to go next,” Lapwood says. “There are lots of little easter eggs in there that you wouldn’t expect — even the first appearance of the choir — and a through-line of flight and spreading wings, because this does feel as though I’ve found what I want to say as an artist. I’m very proud of it.”

"Firedove" effortlessly demonstrates Anna’s open-minded approach to music, one where a Vierne scherzo can sit alongside a rendition of Robbie Williams "Angels," and Maurice Duruflé’s "Prelude and Fugue" with Bob Dylan’s "Make You Feel My Love."

The repertoire choices on her album clearly indicate that it is Anna’s most personal record to date. She is no stranger to blending classical music with pop having performed with RAYE, Florence & The Machine & Aurora, even finding time to give Tom Cruise an impromptu organ lesson during a late-night rehearsal at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Anna was appointed Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridgeshire when she was 21, the youngest person ever to hold that position at either an Oxford or Cambridge University College. Now, nine years later, she is stepping down to pursue her live and recording career full time.

On "Firedove" Anna Lapwood brings a breath of fresh air into classical musical making. “Since I started focusing on the music I loved and stopped worrying about what others felt I ‘should’ be doing, I have fallen in love with the organ again in a completely new way” she says.

The results are staggering, and Anna’s intense musical passion is evident throughout "Firedove." An intoxicating listen.

Anna Lapwood

Anna Lapwood, organ, direction
Jess Gillam, saxophone
Elena Urioste, violin
Maryam Giraud, organ
Molly Hord, organ
The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge

Anna Lapwood
is an organist, conductor, and broadcaster, and holds the position of Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

While studying at Oxford University, Anna was the first female in Magdalen College’s 560-year history to be awarded the Organ Scholarship. Now performing multiple recitals each season, Anna released her debut solo album in September 2021 on Signum Records. The album, “Images”, features her transcription of Britten’s ‘Four Sea Interludes’ from “Peter Grimes”.

Performances have taken her across Europe on recital tours and in 2019 Anna opened the BAFTA TV awards on the organ of the Royal Festival Hall. Recent concerts include an organ recital from St David's Hall, Cardiff (broadcast on BBC Radio 3); a live audio stream from Leeds Town Hall and a webcast performance of Poulenc’s ‘Organ Concerto’ with the London Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Chloé van Soeterstède from St. John’s, Smith Square (London). In September 2021 she makes her BBC Proms debut at as soloist in Saint-Saëns ‘Organ Symphony’ with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder, repeating the Saint-Saëns later that month with conductor Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Anna made her TV presenting debut in 2020/21 hosting coverage of BBC Young Musician, followed by presenting a televised Prom in September 2021. As a radio broadcaster she is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and until July 2020 she hosted a live, weekly classical music show on Radio Cambridgeshire. She has also been featured on Classic FM and presented for Scala Radio.

Appointed Director of Music at Pembroke College at Cambridge University in 2016 aged just 21, Anna conducts the Chapel Choir and Girls' Choir. Their debut recording – “All Things are Quite Silent” - was released in 2020 to widespread critical acclaim, praised for their clarity, blend and beauty of sound. Anna’s passion to support girls and women is evident in almost every aspect of her work, especially at Pembroke. In 2018 she established the Pembroke College Girls’ Choir for girls aged 11 to 18 to inspire them to explore the world of choral music. They appeared as guest artists on “To Shiver the Sky” by American composer, Christopher Tin, for Decca US, recording at Abbey Road Studios. Anna also runs the Cambridge Organ Experience for Girls and was appointed a Bye-Fellow of Pembroke College in January 2020.

​Increasingly in demand as a guest conductor, she has also directed the BBC Singers as part of the Proms Inspire programme and has led choral workshops around the world. A strong advocate for music education at home and abroad, she specialises in bringing music to children from impoverished backgrounds. As a Trustee of the Muze Trust, a charity committed to making music accessible to children and young adults in Zambia, Anna works in Zambia regularly and leads the Muze-Pembroke Music Exchange Programme. When the Covid-19 Pandemic put a stop to much of Anna's work in this area overseas she focussed her efforts closer to home, founding and conducting the NHS Chorus-19, made up of over 1000 NHS staff from across the UK. ​

Having spent some years being encouraged to “play like a man” and with a dedication to her art and mission that belied her years, Anna is now humbled to find that she is an inspiration to many young women and proud that they have adopted her hashtag, #playlikeagirl.

Booklet for Firedove