Martin Goldsmith

(* 1952)

Biographical Sketch

Martin Julian Goldsmith (born St. Louis, MO, USA, August 18, 1952) is an American radio personality and author, best known as a classical music host on National Public Radio and Sirius XM, and for a book about his parents’ experiences as Jewish musicians in Nazi Germany.

Goldsmith is the son of Gunther Goldschmidt, a flutist from Oldenburg, Germany, and Rosemarie Gumpert Goldschmidt, a violist. From 1971 to 1975 he was a radio host, musical producer, and writer at classical radio station WCLV in Cleveland, Ohio. He joined WETA-FM, Washington, DC, in 1975, serving as producer, announcer, music director and, eventually, program director. In 1987 he joined National Public Radio as a music producer for Performance Today. From 1989 to 1999 he was on-air host for that program, becoming senior commentator in 1999. Subsequently moving to XM Satellite Radio, he now serves as director of classical music programming and is frequently heard on Sirius XM’s Symphony Hall channel. Goldsmith has sung in the chorus of the Baltimore Opera Company and made a guest appearance with the Washington Opera. He has also acted in many roles in Washington-area theaters, including Arena Stage. He plays the French horn. His music reviews have appeared in the Washington Post.

Major Awards and Honors

George Foster Peabody Awards (USA)

1998: National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” (host: Martin Goldsmith – until 1999)

Yale University (USA)

1998: Cultural Leadership Citation – “in recognition of service to the cultural life of the nation”

Bibliography

Nonfiction

The NPR Basic Record Library (1995)
– With Ted Libbey.
The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany (2001)
The Beatles Come to America (2004)
Alex’s Wake: A Voyage of Betrayal and a Journey of Remembrance (2014)

A Selection of Quotes

Find quotes by Martin Goldsmith on Goodreads.