Prof. Pöhler meets world-renowned conductor and supporter of FAU

During a visit to the Swedish city of Gothenburg in August 2025, Prof. Rolf Pöhler took the opportunity to meet Prof. Herbert Blomstedt, a long-time supporter of Friedensau Adventist University and the Friends of Friedensau International Association, and present him with a copy of the book ‘125 Years of Friedensau: A Chronicle.’ A year ago, the now 98-year-old conductor moved his residence from Switzerland (Lucerne) to Sweden. His new home is only a few minutes' walk from the Gothenburg Concert Hall, where as a young man in the 1940s he enthusiastically attended concerts twice a week and thus experienced numerous orchestras, conductors, and instrumentalists. It was a formative time for him.

Prof. Blomstedt bequeathed his valuable media collection to the nearby Gothenburg University Library during his lifetime. The ‘Herbert Blomstedt Collection’ includes rare original prints from past centuries, a collection of old music theory books, countless recordings, scores and much more. The collection is open to the public and can be visited on request. Herbert Blomstedt proved himself not only to be a bibliophile collector, but also a profound connoisseur of the works he acquired. According to Ecclesiastes 12:12, ‘new books are constantly being written – your body will grow weary if you spend too much time studying them’ (NLB). However, the opposite seems to be true of Herbert Blomstedt (Text: Rolf Pöhler).