At 98, Herbert Blomstedt continues to conduct major orchestras in Europe and the United States — not out of stubbornness, but from a deep sense of duty and joy. The American-born Swedish conductor, now in his eighth decade on the podium, speaks softly and moves sparingly, but the results are anything but muted.
Blomstedt’s recent interview with CBS News offers a rare glimpse into the philosophy that guides his long life in music. “Every time I stand in front of the orchestra,” he says, “there’s like a flame that starts to sparkle again.” Despite recent health setbacks, including falls in 2022 and 2023 and temporary hearing loss earlier this year, he refuses to retire. “Every day is a gift,” he explains. “I have duties. I don’t have any rights. But I have gifts that I have to live up to.”
A lifelong Seventh-day Adventist, Blomstedt does not rehearse on Friday evenings or Saturdays, but he does perform — regarding concerts as spiritual acts. He conducts without a baton, using only his hands: “The stick is more neutral… this is more spiritual,” he says, raising his fingers in the air.
The bond with the orchestra, he insists, must be personal. “Many conductors believe that the conductor is an autocrat,” he says. “I hate that.” For him, music-making is shared and intimate: “It’s like intense sex,” he adds, with a smile.
Born in Massachusetts in 1927 to Swedish parents, Blomstedt was raised between two cultures. He studied in Stockholm, Basel, New York and Tanglewood, learning from figures such as Igor Markevitch, Jean Morel and Leonard Bernstein. His own conducting style, however, is anything but flamboyant. “Understated” is perhaps an understatement — and that’s part of what makes his presence so powerful.
Blomstedt still holds honorary titles with orchestras in San Francisco, Dresden, Leipzig and beyond. In February 2025, he led the San Francisco Symphony once again. By April, he was back on the podium in Leipzig. He already has bookings scheduled beyond his 100th birthday.
🎥 Worth watching: CBS Sunday Morning’s full profile, is available here:
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