On her album »Firedove organist and choir director Anna Lapwood combines classical compositions by Louis Vierne or Maurice Duruflé with new arrangements of contemporary pieces by Hans Zimmer, Rachel Portman, Ola Gjeilo and Hania Raini. Anna Lapwood can not only be heard on the organ, but also leads the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College Cambridge on the pieces “Come to me”, “Firedove” and “Make you feel ny Love”. For the piece “Flight”, Anna Lapwood is accompanied by saxophonist Jess Gillam. “Firedove” was recorded at night in Nidaros Cathedral, a spectacular 11th-century Gothic cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.
“I wanted to create an album where the listener never knows exactly where it’s going next. There are many small ›Easter eggs‹ that you wouldn’t expect – such as the choir’s first performance. I feel like I’ve finally found what I want to say as an artist. I’m very proud of it,” explains Anna Lapwood.
As a common thread, »Firedove« runs through the motif of flight and unfolding – a symbol of Anna Lapwood’s artistic development. It is a phenomenon. With the organ of the Royal Albert Hall, on which she practices almost every night, she inspires a new generation of music fans on Instagram and TikTok for her instrument, which is generally considered old-fashioned. Not only has she gained millions of fans on social media, but she has also been invited to collaborate with Bonobo, MRAYE, Florence & The Machine and Aurora. Even Tom Cruise visited her at one of her nightly rehearsals, which led to a spontaneous organ lesson. In 2024, she was awarded an Opus Klassik for her debut album »Luna«. In addition to her work as an organist, she was appointed Music Director at Pembroke College, Cambridgeshire, at the age of 21, making her the youngest person ever to hold this position at a college of Oxford or Cambridge University, and directed their choirs for nine years.
