David Martosko is a broadcaster and journalist who was trained on the piano, cello, and tuba but sang his way through his teens and ultimately embraced opera — first on stage and then on the podium. He debuted with Opera North in New Hampshire, singing Mozart and Lehar and conducting Copland and Puccini.
Growing up singing in the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, David once had a 15-minute coaching with Leonard Bernstein on the Chichester Psalms treble solo. He also performed an off-color birthday song to Bob Hope as part of his first job: delivering singing telegrams at age 16.
David has appeared on stage in D.C. as a principal artist with the Washington Savoyards, and as a baritone section leader and touring artist in the Master Chorale of Washington. As a journalist, he spent seven years as a White House correspondent, peppering presidents with questions for the (London) Daily Mail and flying on Air Force One. After filing political stories from 39 states and 12 foreign countries, he says his most important work was in Zambia — a three-part series about the AIDS-driven orphan crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
David earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Conservatory, following his B.A. from Dartmouth College. He has won an Emmy Award as a TV correspondent, and shared an Edward R. Murrow Award for writing.