Harold Hall ("Hal") Robinson (born July 29, 1952[1]) is an American classical double bass player, formerly the principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
[1] Both parents were members of the Houston Symphony Orchestra: his father was the principal bassist, and his mother was a violinist.
Hal and all four of his siblings—cellists Sharon and Keith Jr., and violinists Erica and Kim—became professional string players with notable careers.
[2] Robinson graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Houston[3] and studied bass at Northwestern University and the Peabody Institute.
[6] In 1985 he was appointed by Mstislav Rostropovich to the position of principal bass of the National Symphony Orchestra, 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.