Francis Robinson Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS.0367

Staff Only

Abstract

Francis Robinson Collection represents materials related to the life and work of Francis Arthur Robinson, (1910-1980), who is most known as the longtime spokesman for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This extensive collection comprises a diverse range of materials that Robinson both received and collected during his tenure at the Met. The collection encompasses correspondence with Geraldine Farrar, family correspondence, gramophone records, photographs, newspaper clippings, playbills, as well as an extensive collection of research materials on the opera personalities, that he used in preparation for the Live from the Met telecast series. A significant part of the collection is dedicated to Enrico Caruso, and includes correspondence, postcards, correspondence with Caruso’s private secretary, Bruno Zirato, photographs, programs, sheet music, and other materials. This collection is of interest for opera scholars and those interested in the management of opera companies.

Dates

1913 - 1979

Biographical / Historical

Francis Arthur Robinson (1910-1980) is best remembered as the longtime spokesman for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Born in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, he was educated at Vanderbilt University, and served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War II. Before he moved to New York and worked for the Met, Robinson was a reporter and Sunday editor of the Nashville Banner; writer, actor, and producer for WSM Radio; and theatrical press representative and company manager in association with William Fields and the Playwrights’ Company.

At various times in his long association with the Metropolitan Opera, Robinson served as Assistant Manager; Director of the Press Department, of Public Relations, and of Box Office and Subscriptions; and Tour Director. He was popular with opera fans for his “Biographies in Music” and presentations during radio and television broadcasts. To millions of listeners, Robinson was the voice of the Met. He also wrote many articles and sound recording liner notes as well as two books – Caruso: His Life in Pictures (1957) and Celebration: The Metropolitan Opera (1979). Robinson was a longtime member of the Board of Trust at Vanderbilt University and left his invaluable collection of correspondence, photographs, ephemera, subject files, and artifacts to the Vanderbilt University Library.