Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895–1967) was the pre-eminent choral conductor of his day. His early musical education was that of a church musician, but encouraged by Sir Henry Wood, he moved to London and concentrated on conducting. He held the chief conductorship of the Liverpool Philharmonic, Hallé and BBC Symphony orchestras, but was most widely known as the chief conductor of the Promenade Concerts from 1948 until his death.