Herbert Blomstedt, conductor of great orchestras for seven decades, dies at 99

Modest in his demeanor but remarkably enduring, the American-born, Swedish conductor continually fell in love with music, leading orchestras with no-nonsense insight and integrity well into his 90s.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5665x3777+0+0/resize/5665x3777!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F93%2F9e%2F09794ac64e89be654dcc04e29121%2Fgettyimages-2271235516.jpg' alt='Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig in April 2026, at the age of 98.'/><p>Modest in his demeanor but remarkably enduring, the American-born, Swedish conductor continually fell in love with music, leading orchestras with no-nonsense insight and integrity well into his 90s.</p><p>(Image credit: Jan Woitas/picture alliance)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5740271' />