McNeil Robinson was a talented organist, composer, and teacher whose improvisational gift was rooted in classical music. Having studied in New York at the Juilliard School and in Spain at the University of Salamanca, Robinson served as chairman of the organ departments at the Mannes College of Music and Manhattan School of Music.
For two decades he served as organist and choirmaster at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and was the organist at the Park Avenue Synagogue from 1965 until 2012. He was also organist of the Park Avenue Christian Church, and served as chairman of the organ departments at the Mannes College of Music and Manhattan School of Music.
Robinson was also an active recitalist, conductor and composer, and had recorded for Decca and the Musical Heritage Society. He had works commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the San Francisco Symphony, Musica Sacra, numerous American churches, and the American Guild of Organists. His music was performed at New York’s Lincoln Center, on network radio, and regularly in churches throughout the United States. Beyond organ and orchestral works, Robinson also composed Hebrew liturgical settings.