Sir Keith Falkner (1900–1994) studied singing at the Royal College of Music between 1920 and 1926, performing in the premiere of Vaughan Williams’s 'Hugh the Drover' in the College’s Parry Theatre in 1924. He was a distinguished oratorio soloist, particularly noted for his interpretations of Bach. After the Second World War, he became the British Council’s music officer for Italy, promoting English music and giving concerts himself. He moved to America in 1950 to work as a singing professor at Cornell University, and returned to London in 1960 to become Director of the Royal College of Music, a post that he held until 1974. Falkner worked tirelessly to develop and expand the College, and was responsible for overseeing the construction of the South Building, the establishment of an electronic studio, and the creation of a Museum of Instruments and Department of Portraits.