The first ever female Organ scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, talks to School Gate.
It’s always lovely to hear about “firsts”, so I was delighted to find out that a 17-year-old A level student who has only been playing the organ for three years, has become the first woman to win a prestigious Organ Scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford. Anna Lapwood, a student at Oxford High School, is due to start her Music degree at the University this September
“I still can’t really believe it,” Lapwood told me. “Having grown up in an all-girls school, it means a lot to me to represent women in an area of life that is very male dominated. It’s a massive honour.”
Lapwood – who attends Oxford High School – is the first female to be awarded the scholarship in the college’s 558 year history.
“It was really pleasing to make the appointment,” said Daniel Hyde, director of Chapel Music at Magdalen. “Anna was the strongest candidate; the best person at playing and very strong academically. She’s a very rounded musician and has the whole package.”
Lapwood is clearly extremely talented (she is beyond Grade 8 on the piano and harp, and lead harpist for the National National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain). She took up the organ in order to win a scholarship.
But she admitted that there was a downside to her success.
“It’s difficult to concentrate on the actual service when you are playing the organ,” she said. “You have so much responsibility and are always worrying about what’s coming next or if the hymn is in the right key. That makes it hard to listen to the sermon. Religion is very important to me, so that is a bit of a problem.”
She also revealed she was worried she wouldn’t be able to spend much time on the harp, which she has played since the age of eight.
“It will be difficult to keep my other instruments up to the level they are at the moment,” she said. “I have spent a lot of time thinking about this, especially about the harp. But the organ is my favourite instrument because it stretches you in a completely different way to the others – it’s the most demanding in terms of coordination and concentration and also draws on the skills I’ve developed from the piano. It really tests you.”
Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester. The founder’s statutes included provision for a choral foundation of men and boys’, which continues to this day. The college is one of five at Oxbridge (the others are Christ Church and New College at Oxford, and St John’s and King’s at Cambridge) to have choral foundation status. All are known for the strength and prestige of their choirs, and often make recordings.
Organ Scholars provide the accompaniments for the college’s choral series, attend choir rehearsals and tutor the older choristers. Lapwood – who was brought up in a choral environment with a father who was a parish priest and school chaplain – had to audition and take admissions tests before she was interviewed for the award. She told me that she particularly wanted the chance to work with a boys’ choir and to shape their musical development. It’s fortunate that she’s so keen as she’ll have to be at services seven days a week and be available to do broadcasts. She will also have to be choir practice at 7.50am daily (and that’s early for a student).
“An organ scholarship really enhances the degree because you have to do so much more,” she said. “However, I didn’t imagine I would get Magdalen, which is so renowned and I am really surprised because I haven’t playing the organ for very long.”
Lapwood needs to get As in Maths, Music and Religious Education A levels, before following in the footstep of former organ scholars including actor Dudley Moore, Richard Pinel (the Assistant Director of Music of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle) and Matthew Martin, composer and Organist of the London Oratory.
Lapwood started piano lessons aged six, and has since learnt the guitar, recorder, clarinet, percussion, flute, violent, viola, harp and organ.
“Music started out as a competition with my brother, but I would practice more,” she said. “I wanted to take up every single instrument that came my way.”
Source: The School Gate Blog - The Times
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