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Herbert Blomstedt, the San Francisco Symphony and Leipzig Gewandhaus conductor who was STILL performing until last year, dies aged 99

Herbert Blomstedt, who led the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 and recorded complete Nielsen and Sibelius cycles for Decca, has died aged 99.
Herbert Blomstedt, who led the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975 and recorded complete Nielsen and Sibelius cycles for Decca, has died aged 99.

Herbert Blomstedt passed away on 4 November 2026 at his Gothenburg, Sweden home, aged 99, with family at his side. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in July 1927 to Swedish parents, he studied under Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood and made his conducting debut with the Stockholm Philharmonic in 1954. His final concert came earlier this year, at 98, the closing chapter of a career remarkable for both its length and its distinction.

Blomstedt led the Staatskapelle Dresden from 1975, then the San Francisco Symphony until 1995, recording complete Nielsen and Sibelius cycles for Decca.

He served as chief conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1998 to 2005 and developed a close late-career bond with London's Philharmonia.

MoreThe TelegraphHerbert Blomstedt, conductor renowned for his energetic readings of the great German composersThe GuardianHerbert Blomstedt, renowned conductor with a seven-decade career, dies aged 99Classic FMWorld-renowned conductor Herbert Blomstedt has died, aged 99 - Classic FMSan Francisco ChronicleHerbert Blomstedt, former S.F. Symphony music director, dead at 99 - San Francisco ChronicleThe StradObituary: Herbert Blomstedt (1927–2026) - The StradThe New York TimesHerbert Blomstedt, Low-Key, Long-Performing Maestro, Dies at 99 - The New York Times
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