Former S.F. Symphony music director withdraws from September concerts amid health concerns
Herbert Blomstedt, former music director of the San Francisco Symphony, has dropped out of a string of concerts after his Bay Area health scare in the spring.
The 99-year-old Swedish conductor was scheduled to perform at Germany’s Leipzig Gewandhaus on Sept. 17-18 and 20, but will no longer make those appearances due to “health reasons,” according to the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Polish German conductor Marek Janowski will take Blomstedt’s place during the fall concerts, the orchestra said.
Blomstedt also withdrew from performances with Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra in July.
The cancellations have sparked speculation about Blomstedt’s retirement, as his most recent performance was marred by health concerns.
He last took the stage in May at Davies Symphony Hall, where he was escorted to the podium by three attendants in a wheelchair. In the Chronicle’s review of the concert, contributor Lisa Hirsch reported that Blomstedt struggled to get through the performance with the San Francisco Symphony and “slumped farther and farther to his right, dangerously so” on the armless piano bench from which he was conducting.
Prior to the performance, a Symphony spokesperson confirmed with the Chronicle that he arrived to Davies in a state of fatigue. He was later admitted to the hospital and withdrew from the final two concerts with the Symphony on the advice of his doctors. He was replaced by American conductor David Robertson.
Blomstedt served as music director of the Symphony from 1985 to 1995 and was succeeded by Michael Tilson Thomas, who led the orchestra for 25 years. Thomas died in April of brain cancer.
Shortly after Blomstedt left the Symphony, he served as the music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1998 to 2005, before pursuing a global career as a freelance guest conductor.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, Blomstedt is still scheduled to return to San Francisco for another round of performance at Davies Symphony Hall in January 2026, six months before he turns 100.
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This article originally published at Former S.F. Symphony music director withdraws from September concerts amid health concerns.
