Bernard Jay Leiderman (born February 14, 1956) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and songwriter. His best-known works are his theme music compositions for

public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

programs, including

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

's ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...

'', ''

Weekend Edition ''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' ...

'', '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'', '' Science Friday'', and American Public Media's ''

Marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

''. Leiderman attended

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, but dropped out and became a stage actor, then a cameraman at WTAR (now WTKR) in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. He later studied broadcast journalism at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Leiderman's ''Morning Edition'' theme music was used for 40 years, from the show's first broadcast on November 5, 1979 until May 3, 2019. As of 2013, Leiderman lived in

Swannanoa, North Carolina Swannanoa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population 5,021 at the 2020 census up from 4,576 at the 2010 census. The community is named for the Swannanoa River, which flows through the s ...

. He produced his debut album ''BJ'' (2017), featuring The Randall Bramblett Band and Béla Fleck.

References

External links

*
"Composing For National Public Radio: A Conversation With BJ Leiderman"
- KPBS, March 29, 2011 by Angela Carone, Jocelyn Maggard, Maureen Cavanaugh {{DEFAULTSORT:Leiderman, B. J. 1956 births Living people Emmy Award winners American public radio personalities Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American composers 21st-century American composers American male composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians