Harold Hall ("Hal") Robinson (born July 29, 1952Birth records
of

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

) is an American classical

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

player, formerly the principal bassist of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

."A career with strings attached"
by Ruth Rovner in the ''

Northeast Times The ''Northeast Times'' is an American newspaper, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that primarily targets the Northeast Philadelphia community. Philadelphia Newspapers, parent of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', bought the ''Northeast Times'' in 199 ...

'', 17 March 2005

Early life and education

Robinson was born in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, the son of Keith Robinson and Dorothe Fowler. Both parents were members of the

Houston Symphony Orchestra The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, 1 ...

: his father was the principal bassist, and his mother was a

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist. Hal and all four of his siblings—

cellists A person who plays the cello is called a cellist. This list of notable cellists is divided into four categories: 1) Living Classical Cellists; 2) Non-Classical Cellists; 3) Deceased Classical Cellists; 4) Deceased Non-Classical Cellists. The ce ...

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

and Keith Jr., and violinists Erica and Kim—became professional

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

players with notable careers. Robinson graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Houston and studied bass at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

. Among his prominent teachers are Warren Benfield (Chicago Symphony), and

Paul Ellison Paul Ellison may refer to: * Paul Ellison (bassist), American classical double-bassist * Paul M. Ellison, British choral conductor, organist, and Beethoven scholar * Paul J. Ellison, member of the Boston School Committee {{hndis, Ellison, P ...

(Bass Professor Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, Houston Symphony).

Musical career

From 1975 to 1977 he held the position of principal bass of the Albuquerque Symphony (now the

New Mexico Symphony Orchestra The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (NMSO) was a symphony orchestra in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It operated from 1932 until 2011, when it declared bankruptcy. History The orchestra, originally called the Albuquerque Civic Symphony, was organized by ...

) and played in the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...

Orchestra. In 1977, he became assistant principal bass of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. During this time he was on the music faculty at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

. In 1982 Robinson was a prizewinner at the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

Solo Competition. In 1985 he was appointed by

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

to the position of principal bass of the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

, where he performed until 1995, when he assumed posts as principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra and a member of the faculty of the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

. And teaches at the Juilliard School. Robinson retired from his position in the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2022.Harold Hall Robinson
Curtis Institute of Music. Retrieved 2024-01-10.

Solo performances

Robinson has performed as a soloist with the American Chamber Orchestra, the Greenville (South Carolina) Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Pops Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic. He has instructed

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es in several countries. The ''Concerto for Bass, Harp and Strings'' was composed expressly for Robinson by composer and fellow bassist Dave Anderson and was given its

premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

by Robinson with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Hal Living people American classical double-bassists American male double-bassists Classical musicians from Texas University of Houston faculty 1952 births Musicians from Houston Musicians from Philadelphia Classical musicians from Pennsylvania 21st-century American double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra Players of the National Symphony Orchestra Players of the Houston Symphony