Conductor Herbert Blomstedt dies at 99 in Sweden

Conductor Herbert Blomstedt has died at age 99, according to reports by the New York Post, The Guardian, and other news outlets. His management agency, KünstlerSekretariat am Gasteig, stated that he died on Wednesday at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden. His conducting career spanned seven decades and included leadership roles with orchestras across Scandinavia, Germany, and the United States. [1][2][3][4][5][6][8][9][10][11]

The New York Post and The Guardian reported that Blomstedt served as the music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1985 to 1995. The Guardian noted his prominent work with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. The New York Post added that he also led ensembles across Scandinavia and Germany during his decades on the podium. [1][5]

The New York Post reported that Blomstedt's final performance took place on May 15 at Davies Hall with the San Francisco Symphony. During that concert, he entered the stage in a wheelchair and struggled while conducting Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony, which stopped for several minutes during the third movement. He was replaced for scheduled concerts over the next two days and canceled later appearances. [1]

Blomstedt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Swedish Seventh-day Adventist missionaries and moved to Sweden at two years old. He studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and Uppsala University, as well as in New York, Darmstadt, and Basel under teachers including Igor Markevitch and Leonard Bernstein. He made his professional debut with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954 and later served as principal conductor for ensembles including the Staatskapelle Dresden. [13][15]