Stanford Robinson OBE (5 July 190425 October 1984) was an English conductor and composer, known for his work with the BBC. He remained a member of the BBC's staff until his retirement in 1966, founding or building up the organisation's choral groups, both amateur and professional. Between 1947 and 1950, Robinson was assistant conductor of the Proms, the summer and autumn concert series founded by Henry Wood and run by the BBC. Away from his BBC work, Robinson conducted at Covent Garden and in Australia. Biography Robinson was born in Leeds, to a musical family. His father and grandfather were both organists and choirmasters, and his mother was a singer. He was named after the composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. He was educated at the Stationers' Company's School, leaving at the age of 15 and earning his living as a pianist at cinemas and restaurants. At the age of 18 he went to the Royal College of Music, where he studied under Adrian Boult, and conducted his first opera performances. While still at the College he took part in a BBC broadcast with the Wireless Orchestra, the forerunner of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. From 1924 to 1966, Robinson was on the staff of the BBC. Until 1932 he was the BBC's first chorus master, in which capacity he established and developed the Wireless Chorus and Wireless Singers (now the BBC Singers) and the BBC National Chorus (now the BBC Symphony Chorus). He first appeared at the Proms in 1929, conducting the combined BBC choral groups in Delius's On Craig Dhu. He conducted at the Proms for the next two seasons, but not again until 1947. In addition to conducting for the BBC, Robinson also broadcast as a pianist. From 1932 to 1946 Robinson was conductor of the BBC Theatre Orchestra, during which time he worked closely with Eric Coates, and director of music productions from 1936 to 1946. Away from his BBC work, he made his Covent Garden debut in 1937, conducting Die Fledermaus. The Times commented that if Robinson "did not always get the true Viennese swing of the waltz rhythms" he "kept the music gaily moving." The following year he returned to the Royal Opera House to conduct Faust with Heddle Nash, Lisa Perli and Harold Williams. From 1946 to 1949, Robinson was the BBC's opera director and associate conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1947, he