Graham wasstudiò educated atalla Northaw School ([[Hertfordshire]]),<ref name="Blyth">{{cite news|author=Alan Blyth|title=Colin Graham|url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2053228,00.html|work=The Guardian|date=10 April 2007|accessdate=2007-04-12}}</ref> alla Stowe School ande alla [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art|RADA]]. EarlyAll'inizio indella hissua career,carriera heiniziò began auna longlunga associationcollaborazione withcon [[Benjamin Britten]], forper whomil hequale directeddiresse alltutte butle oneopere of the composer'steatrali, stagetranne worksuna, includingcomprese alltutte ofle theprime worldmondiali premieresdopo afteril 1954.<ref>[{{Cita news|lingua=en-GB|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml|titolo=/news/2007/04/09/db0901.xmlNews|pubblicazione=The Obituary for Colin Graham, ''Telegraph'', 9 April 2007.]|data=2016-03-15|accesso=2020-11-22}}</ref> HeNel became1953 associatedsi with theassociò all'[[English Opera Group]] in 1953.<ref>[{{Cita news|lingua=en-US|nome=Vivien|cognome=Schweitzer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/arts/09graham.html Vivien Schweitzer, "|titolo=Colin Graham, 75, Director of St. Louis Opera Company, Dies." (Published 2007)|pubblicazione=The ''New York Times'', 9 April |data=2007.]-04-09|accesso=2020-11-22}}</ref> InNegli the[[anni 1950s,'50]] helavorò alsoanche workedper for thela [[Royal Opera House]], [[Covent Garden]]ina LondonLondra ande latersuccessivamente atal [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne]] and at thee all'[[English National Opera]] innegli the[[anni 1970s'70]]. Tra Inla thefine latedegli 1950sanni and'50 earlye 1960sl'inizio degli anni '60, Graham wasfu associatedassociato witha severaldiverse recordingsregistrazioni ofdi opere di [[Gilbert e Sullivan]] operas conducteddirette byda Sir [[Malcolm Sargent]] withcon theil Glyndebournecoro del [[Festival Chorusdi andGlyndebourne]] e con i direttori principali, tra principalsi includingquali [[George Baker (baritono)|George Baker]]. Migliorò Hequeste enhancedregistrazioni thesecon recordingsuna withmanovra movementper forgli theartisti performersche thatrende makesle theregistrazioni recordingspiù sound more likesimili a liveun'esibizione stageddal performancevivo.<ref>[http://www.cris.com/~oakapple/gasdisc/tbjsarg.htm Information from the G&S Discography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620064531/http://www.cris.com/~oakapple/gasdisc/tbjsarg.htm|date=2008-06-20}}</ref>
Graham made his American debut as a stage director at [[Santa Fe Opera]] in 1974 with his staging of Britten's ''[[Owen Wingrave]]''.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1629548.ece%20 Obituary for Colin Graham, ''The Times'', 9 April 2007.]</ref> Graham later became Director of Productions for [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]] (OTSL) in 1978, until 1985, when he became OTSL's Artistic Director. He held this position until his death.
