Herbert Blomstedt

Born in the United States, Herbert Blomstedt commenced his studies in Stockholm and Uppsala, going on to enrol at the Juilliard School of Music in New York where he studied orchestral conducting. He also studied contemporary music in Darmstadt and early music at the Schola Cantorum in Basle. He worked with Igor Markevitch in Salzburg and with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. 

Blomstedt made his conducting debut with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954. He has been at the helm of several Scandinavian orchestras, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the NDR Sinfonieorchester and the San Francisco Symphony. He served as principal conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1998 to 2005. 

Blomstedt has made many acclaimed recordings, which include the complete symphonies of Sibelius and Nielsen. He is also considered one of the world’s leading interpreters of the music of Mendelssohn, Brahms and Bruckner. In January 2018, he was the recipient of the International Classical Music Award for his CD recordings of the complete Beethoven symphonies. 

Blomstedt has received various honorary doctorates and is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He was presented with Germany’s Grosses Bundesverdienstkreuz in 2003. His ninetieth birthday, in July 2017, was celebrated with a book, multiple CD and DVD releases, and an international tour featuring ninety concerts. 

Blomstedt has performed very regularly with the Concertgebouw Orchestra since 1983 – most recently in January 2019, when he conducted works by Brahms and Mendelssohn.