Born in New York City, Goldsmith's family moved to Cuba for a year in 1938, to aid European Jews seeking to escape antisemitic persecution.
Goldsmith began writing music criticism as a record reviewer for High Fidelity in 1960,[4] where he became an influential voice during the "heyday of the classical LP".
[5] In a 2013 interview with New York City culture critic Sara Fishko, he recalled a performance by Toscanini 60 years earlier: "The one that really blew me away is the Eroica he did on December 6, 1953, because I already was well familiar with the piece from his 1949 recording".
[2] He shared a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Historical Album for his liner notes accompanying The Heifetz Collection.
[6] Goldsmith played his debut piano performance in April 1965 at New York City's Town Hall.