“Imaginative, open-minded, and a brilliant musician, the organist and conductor Anna Lapwood is the dream ambassador for classical music.”—Gramophone
UGA Presents continues its 30th anniversary season with internationally acclaimed organist Anna Lapwood Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at Athens First United Methodist Church. Lapwood, the official organist of London’s Royal Albert Hall, has gained global recognition for redefining the possibilities of the organ. With millions of followers across social media, she has introduced new audiences to the instrument while championing innovative programming and amplifying underrepresented voices in classical music.
Lapwood brings a genre-defying program that blends traditional organ repertoire with iconic film scores and contemporary works, many in her own arrangements. The evening will feature music from The Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean, Interstellar, and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Composers represented include Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, Rachel Portman, Ludovico Einaudi, and Eugène Gigout.
A graduate of the University of Oxford and former Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Lapwood has performed at major venues worldwide, including the Sydney Opera House and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Her recent projects include collaborations with leading orchestras, chart-topping recordings, and sold-out international tours. Her groundbreaking work earned her an MBE in 2024 and a place on the 2025 Sunday Times Young Power List.
Highlights of Lapwood’s Athens recital include her arrangement of “Chevaliers de Sangreal” from The Da Vinci Code, nine selections from The Lord of the Rings, and contemporary concert pieces. The program also pays homage to the organ’s classical roots with Eugène Gigout’s Toccata, a staple of the repertoire that showcases both agility and brilliance.
The concert concludes with a thrilling suite from Zimmer’s Pirates of the Caribbean, arranged by Lapwood, featuring movements such as “Jack Sparrow” and “Drink Up, Me Hearties, Yo Ho!”—a rousing finale that underscores her ability to translate cinematic spectacle into a live performance experience.
THE ORGAN
The evening also celebrates the 2020 installation of the 4-manual, 68 rank pipe organ at Athens First United Methodist Church. The instrument, built by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., of Warrensburg, Missouri, includes 3,867 pipes and a mahogany console constructed by Southern Elegance Custom Cabinetry of Crawford, Georgia. The instrument was featured on the cover of the organ magazine The Diapason in October 2021.
SUPPORTERS
This performance is supported by Dianne D. Wall, Henry and Carolyn Garrard, Blaine Bostelman and Wessley Barrett, David W. Key, Sr., and Bob and Evelyn Winstead.
Note: This performance is free but sold out. A standby line will be formed one hour before the performance outside the front of Athens First United Methodist Church. Any open seats remaining in the church just before showtime will be filled from the standby line. More information is at pac.uga.edu.
