Zubin
Mehta
Zubin Mehta
was born into music. As the son Mehli Mehta, the founder of
Bombay String Quartet and the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, he
was surrounded by Western music as a child.
Zubin and
his team have conducted over 1600 performances. Zubin completed
his studies at the renowned Vienna Academy of Music. In 1958
he was awarded first prize in the Liverpool International Conductor's
Competition and from there he went on to become the assistant
conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for a year. From
1961 to 1967 he was appointed the musical director of the Montreal
and thereafter of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
A year later
he became chief music adviser to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
He retained his post as the Music Director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic form 1962 to 1978. Since 1986, he has also acted
as Music Advisor and Chief Conductor of the Maggio Musicale
Fiorentino, the summer festival in Florence, Italy.
The highlight
of his career took place in 1988, when the orchestra went on
a 10-day tour of the Soviet Union. This culminated into a historic
joint concert with the State Symphony Orchestra of the Soviet
Ministry of Culture, in Moscow's Gorky Park. His long time ambition
was fulfilled when he brought the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
to India in 1994.
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