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

In 2021 she appeared at the BBC Proms both as a presenter for BBC Television and as soloist in Saint-Saëns' ‘Organ’ Symphony with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder. 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. Anna made her TV presenting debut in 2020 hosting coverage of BBC Young Musician.

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.

While studying at Oxford University, Anna was the first female in Magdalen College’s 560-year history to be awarded the Organ Scholarship. Performances have since taken her across the UK and Europe on recital tours, and in 2019, Anna opened the BAFTA TV awards on the organ of the Royal Festival Hall. Recent performances include an organ recital from St David’s Hall, Cardiff (broadcast on BBC Radio 3), performances of Saint-Saëns’ 'Organ' Symphony with the Hallé Orchestra and the CBSO, and a webcast performance of the Poulenc Organ concerto with the London Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Chloé van Soeterstède from St John’s, Smith Square (London).

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, a virtual choir 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 belies 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.