Page 86 - Aldeburgh Festival 2022 FINAL COVERAGE BOOK

Royal Albert Hall, where Lapwood has been recently named an associate artist, has

9,999 pipes and weighs 150 tonnes).

Or her unmistakable glamour: dressed down is a tailored blazer; dressed up is a

sequinned gown. Quite possibly this exceptional musician and impressive leader

deserves a write-up that parks all those elements and her gender in an
overwhelmingly male-dominated field and instead focuses solely on her work.

However, we don’t live in that society — at least, not yet.

Lapwood is a star, make no mistake. Roger Wright, the former Radio 3 head who

runs the Aldeburgh Festival, describes her as “not only a very fine organist and

choral conductor, but also a thrilling musician who inspires young people and is

able to build new audiences for classical music”.

Wright’s glowing imprimatur aside, I suspect there might be a few classical types

who privately begrudge — or at least raise an eyebrow — at this brilliant young

musician in their midst. A woman with a first-class Oxford degree who is as
comfortable racking up millions of TikTok views while playing

the Interstellar or How to Train Your Dragon soundtracks as she is transcribing

Messiaen (imagine!). Perhaps they are waiting for her to trip up, even as they have

to concede the expediency of catering to a younger audience. I ask her if that

bothers her. Lapwood is unfazed. “I think the competitive part of my brain just
thinks, ‘Don’t give up,’” she says.

The Lapwood effect is palpable, felt by everyone: singers , composers, audience

members, radio listeners, concert promoters and social media fans. And I bet she

thinks she is only just getting started. Does she ever stop to acknowledge the vast
impact she has already made? “God no. And I never have a plan. I have huge self-

doubt and moments of ‘What am I doing?’” Then Lapwood smiles her megawatt

smile. “But I cannot stop. If you can make productive change happen, surely it’s

worth it.”