Herbert Blomstedt (born 11 July 1927 in Springfield, Massachusetts) is a Swedish conductor who grew up in Sweden and Finland. He held principal posts with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the San Francisco Symphony and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and holds honorary conductor titles with eight major orchestras worldwide. With over 125 recordings to his name - including two Grammy Awards - he is one of the most decorated conductors of his generation, particularly admired for his readings of Bruckner, Brahms and the Scandinavian repertoire.
Blomstedt withdrew from two San Francisco Symphony performances of Mahler's Ninth Symphony on doctors' advice after struggling through the opening night on 15 May 2026.
Blomstedt returned to the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in March 2026, more than 70 years after his debut there as chief conductor in the mid-1950s.
Blomstedt led an all-Brahms programme with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall in March 2026.
In October 2025, Blomstedt conducted a series of concerts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo.
After recovering from a fall in December 2023, Blomstedt returned to the San Francisco Symphony in January 2025 for a series of Schubert and Brahms concerts.
