UGA Presents announced on April 10 that renowned organist Anna Lapwood will perform at Athens First United Methodist Church on April 19 at 7 p.m. as part of its 30th anniversary season.
Lapwood, who serves as the official organist for London’s Royal Albert Hall, has become known worldwide for her efforts to expand the audience for organ music through social media and innovative programming. She is recognized for bringing attention to underrepresented voices in classical music and introducing new listeners to the instrument.
The upcoming performance will feature a mix of traditional organ works alongside arrangements of well-known film scores and contemporary pieces. The program includes 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 featured are Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shore, Rachel Portman, Ludovico Einaudi, and Eugène Gigout.
Lapwood is a graduate of the University of Oxford and previously served as director of music at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Her career has included performances at major venues such as Sydney Opera House and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She was awarded an MBE in 2024 and named to the Sunday Times Young Power List in 2025.
This concert also marks the celebration of the church’s pipe organ installed in 2020 by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., featuring over three thousand pipes with a mahogany console crafted locally. The instrument was highlighted on the cover of The Diapason magazine in October 2021.
While tickets for this free event are sold out, a standby line will be available one hour before showtime outside Athens First United Methodist Church. Additional information about UGA Performing Arts Center events can be found at pac.uga.edu.
