Editing Zubin Mehta

{{Short description|Indian conductor (born 1936)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Zubin Mehta
|image = ZubinMehtaMar11 (cropped).jpg
|image_size =
|caption = Mehta in 2020
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1936|4|29}}
|birth_place = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br>(now [[Mumbai]], Maharashtra, India)
|occupation = Conductor
|years_active = 1958–present
|spouse      = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Carmen Lasky|1958|1964|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Nancy Kovack]]<br>|1969}}
}}
|children    = 4
|father     = [[Mehli Mehta]]
|known_for   = Directing and conducting:<br>[[Montreal Symphony Orchestra]];<br>[[Los Angeles Philharmonic]];<br>[[New York Philharmonic]];<br>[[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]]
|relatives   = [[Zarin Mehta]] (brother)<br>[[Bejun Mehta]] (distant relative)
|website    = [http://www.zubinmehta.net zubinmehta.net]
}}

'''Zubin Mehta''' (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] (IPO) and conductor [[:wikt:emeritus|emeritus]] of the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]].

Mehta's father was the founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, and Mehta received his early musical education from him. When he was 18, he enrolled in the [[University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna|Vienna state music academy]], from which he graduated after three years with a diploma as a conductor. He began winning international competitions and conducted the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic]] at the age of 21. Beginning in the 1960s, Mehta gained experience by substituting for celebrated maestros throughout the world.

Mehta was music director of the [[Montreal Symphony Orchestra]] from 1961 to 1967 and of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1962 to 1978, the youngest music director ever for any major North American orchestra. In 1969, he was appointed Music Adviser to the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] and in 1981 he became its Music Director for Life. From 1978 to 1991, Mehta was music director of the [[New York Philharmonic]]. He was chief conductor of the [[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]] in [[Florence]] from 1985 to 2017.

He is an honorary citizen of both Florence and [[Tel Aviv]] and was made an honorary member of the [[Vienna State Opera]] in 1997 and of the [[Bavarian State Opera]] in 2006. The title of Honorary Conductor was bestowed on him by numerous orchestras throughout the world. More recently, Mehta made several tours with the Bavarian State Opera and kept up a busy schedule of guest conducting appearances. In December 2006, he received the [[Kennedy Center Honor]] and in October 2008 he was honored by the Japanese Imperial Family with the [[Praemium Imperiale]].
In 2016, Mehta was appointed Honorary Conductor of the [[Teatro San Carlo]], Naples.

Mehta was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gop Platform Committee Urged to Give Support to Israel |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/gop-platform-committee-urged-to-give-support-to-israel |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early years and education==
Mehta was born into a [[Parsi]] family in [[Mumbai|Bombay (now Mumbai)]], India, during the [[British Raj]], the older son of [[Mehli Mehta|Mehli]] (1908–2002) and Tehmina (Daruvala) Mehta.<ref name=Opera/><ref>{{cite web|title=Those Nights in Nairobi|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/those-nights-in-nairobi/290794|work=[[Outlook India]]|date=2 June 2014|first=Pranay|last=Sharma}}</ref> His native language is [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/.premium-zubin-mehta-is-worried-israel-is-isolated-1.5437646|title=Zubin Mehta Is Worried: 'Israel Is Isolated'|first=Haggai|last=Hitron|date=23 April 2016|work=[[Haaretz]]}}</ref> His father was a self-taught [[violin]]ist who founded and conducted the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and later the [[American Youth Symphony]], which he conducted for 33 years after moving to Los Angeles. His father had previously lived in New York to study with violinist [[Ivan Galamian]], a noted teacher who also taught [[Itzhak Perlman]] and [[Pinchas Zukerman]]. His father returned to Bombay as an accomplished violinist of the Russian school. Mehta has said that on many occasions when he conducts in the U.S., someone approaches him to say, "You don't know how much I loved your father!"<ref name=Opera/>

Mehta has described his childhood as surrounded by music at home all the time, and has said he probably learned to speak Gujarati and sing around the same time. He says his father had a strong influence on him, and he listened to his quartet daily after his father returned from the US after the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tiwari |first1=Noopur |title=Zubin Mehta in Conversation |url=https://parsikhabar.net/india/zubin-mehta-in-conversation/1215/ |website=parsikhabar.net |date=29 September 2008 |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref> Mehta was first taught to play violin and piano by his father. When he reached his early teens, his father allowed him to lead sectional rehearsals of the Bombay Symphony, and at sixteen, he was conducting the full orchestra during rehearsals.<ref name=Moritz>Moritz, Charles, editor. ''Current Biography Yearbook, 1969'', The H. W. Wilson Co., New York (1984) pp. 287–289</ref>

Mehta graduated from [[St. Mary's School, Mumbai]] and went on to study medicine at [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]], at the urging of his mother, who wanted him to take up a profession more "respectable" than music.<ref name=Moritz/> At age eighteen, he dropped out after two years to move to Vienna, one of Europe's music centers, in order to study music under [[Hans Swarowsky]] at the [[University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna|state music academy]].<ref name=Moritz/> He lived on $75 per month, and was a contemporary of conductor [[Claudio Abbado]] and conductor-pianist [[Daniel Barenboim]].

He remained at the academy for three years, during which time he also studied the [[double bass]], which he played in the [[Vienna Chamber Orchestra]].<ref name=Moritz/> Swarowsky recognized Mehta's abilities early on, describing him as a "demoniac conductor" who "had it all".<ref name=Time/> While still a student, after the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]], he organized a student orchestra in seven days and conducted it in a concert at a refugee camp outside Vienna.<ref name=Time/>

Mehta graduated in 1957 when he was 21 with a diploma in conducting.<ref name=Moritz/> In 1958, he entered the Liverpool International Conductor's Competition with 100 contestants and took first prize. The prize included a year's contract as associate conductor of the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic]], which he conducted in 14 concerts, all of which received rave reviews.<ref name=Moritz/>

He then was a third-place prizewinner at the summer academy at the [[Tanglewood Music Center]] in Massachusetts.<ref name="Mehta">{{Cite web |title=Zubin Mehta: biography |url=http://www.zubinmehta.net/5.0.html |website=www.zubinmehta.net}}</ref> At that competition he attracted the notice of [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]], then the conductor of the [[Boston Symphony]], who later helped his career.<ref name=Moritz/> In 1958, he boldly programmed an all-Schoenberg concert, which did so well that he accepted further bookings.<ref name=Time/> That same year he also married a Canadian voice student, Carmen Lasky, whom he met in Vienna.<ref name=Time/>

==Conducting career==
===1960s===

During 1960 and 1961, Mehta was asked to substitute for celebrated maestros throughout the world, receiving high critical acclaim for most of those concerts.<ref name=Time/> In 1960, he conducted a series for the [[Vienna Symphony]] and later that summer made his New York conducting debut leading the [[New York Philharmonic]].<ref name=Moritz/>

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor = MistyRose|quote=[Mehta] has the capacity to control every sound made by an orchestra, and he does this with the simplest of gestures, every one of which has an immediate and perceptible effect. He has a talent for conveying a mood of serenity, or of serene grandeur, to both orchestra and audiences that is rare indeed among the younger generation of conductors.|source= —Music critic [[Winthrop Sargeant]],<br>on Mehta's 1967 New York debut at [[Carnegie Hall]]<ref>{{cite magazine|author-link=Winthrop Sargeant |last=Sargeant |first= Winthrop |magazine= The New Yorker |volume=43 |issue=12 |date=13 May 1967 |title=Musical Events |page=164}}</ref>}}

In 1960, with the help of Charles Munch, Mehta became the chief conductor and Music Director of the [[Montreal Symphony Orchestra]], a post he held until 1967. By 1961, he had already conducted the [[Vienna Philharmonic|Vienna]], [[Berlin Philharmonic|Berlin]] and [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra|Israel Philharmonic]] orchestras.<ref name=Mehta /> In 1962, he took the Montreal Symphony on a concert tour to Russia, Paris and Vienna. Mehta was most apprehensive about his concert in Vienna, which he said was considered the "capital of Western music". His single concert there received a 20-minute ovation, 14 curtain calls, and two encores.<ref>Graham, Harriet. ''[[Maclean's]]'', 4 July 1964{{full citation needed|date=November 2020}}</ref>

In 1961, he was named assistant conductor of the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] (LAP), although the orchestra's music director designate, [[Georg Solti]], was not consulted on the appointment, and resigned in protest.<ref>{{Cite magazine| title=Buffie & the Baton | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872266,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204215340/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872266,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=4 February 2011 | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=14 April 1961 | access-date=8 November 2007}}</ref> The orchestra had been without a permanent conductor for four years when Mehta started directing it.<ref name=Moritz/>

Mehta was named Music Director of the orchestra and held the post from 1962 to 1978. When he began his first season with the orchestra in 1962, he was 26, the youngest person ever to hold that title.<ref name=Moritz/> As he had also conducted the Montreal Symphony during those early years, he became the first person to direct two North American symphony orchestras at the same time.<ref name=Moritz />

As the LAP's first conductor in four years, Mehta worked to polish its overall sound to something closer to the [[Vienna Philharmonic]]'s. He succeeded in making its sound warmer and richer by fostering competition among the musicians, shifting assignments, giving promotions and changing seating arrangements.<ref name=Time/> He also inspired the musicians; 21-year-old cellist [[Jacqueline du Pré]] said, "He provides a magic carpet for you to float on." Cellist Kurt Reher recalls Mehta's first rehearsal with the orchestra: "within two beats we were entranced. It seemed this young man had the ability, the musical knowledge of a man of 50 or 55."<ref name=Time/>

In 1965, after Mehta's debut with the [[Metropolitan Opera]]'s performance of ''[[Aida]]'', music critic [[Alan Rich]] wrote, "Mehta brought to the conducting of the score a kind of bedazzlement that has no peer in recent times ... It was a lunging, teeming, breathless performance that still had plenty of breath."<ref name=Moritz/> He subsequently conducted the Met in performances of ''Carmen'', ''Tosca'', and ''Turandot''.

For Montreal's [[Expo 67]], he conducted both the Montreal and the Los Angeles orchestras together for a performance of [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]]'s ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]''.<ref name=Moritz /> Also that year, Mehta conducted the world premier of [[Marvin David Levy]]'s ''[[Mourning Becomes Electra]]''.<ref name=Moritz />

By May 1967, his schedule was becoming overcrowded and he resigned his Montreal post. That fall he took the 107-member Los Angeles Philharmonic on an eight-week tour, including engagements in Vienna, Paris, Athens, and Bombay.<ref name=Moritz/> By 1968, his popularity kept him busier than the year before, including 22 weeks of concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, three operas at the Met, television appearances in the U.S. and Italy, five recording sessions, and guest appearances at five festivals and with five orchestras.<ref name=Moritz/> ''Time'' magazine put him on its cover in January 1968.<ref name=Time>[https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19680119,00.html Zubin Mehta cover story], ''Time'', 19 January 1968</ref> In 1969 his schedule remained equally active.<ref name=Moritz/>

In 1970, Mehta performed with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention on Zappa's "200 Motels" and Edgar Varese's Intergrales, at [[UCLA]]'s Pauley Pavilion basketball stadium with an audience of 12,000. There is no authorized recording, though some bootlegs exist.

===1970s–1980s===
In 1978, Mehta became the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the [[New York Philharmonic]] and remained there until his resignation in 1991.

[[File:Isaac Stern - Mehta - 1980.JPG|thumb|left|Mehta with [[Isaac Stern]] at Lincoln Center, 1980]]

He became music director of the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] (IPO) in 1977. He began the first of many guest appearances with the IPO in 1961. In 1966, he toured with the orchestra, and during the [[1967 Arab–Israeli war]], he rushed back to Israel to conduct several special concerts to demonstrate solidarity with its people.<ref name=Chicago>"Mehta mated to Israel Philharmonic", ''Chicago Tribune'', 12 March 2014, pp. 3–4.</ref> He was appointed IPO's Music Advisor in 1969, Music Director in 1977, and was made its Music Director for Life in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/|title=Newsday &#124; Long Island's & NYC's News Source|website=Newsday}}</ref>

During his five-decade connection with the IPO, he has conducted it in thousands of concerts in Israel and abroad.<ref name=Opera /> He conducted concerts with the IPO in South Lebanon in 1982, after which Arabs rushed onstage to hug the musicians.<ref name=LATimes /> He conducted it during the [[Gulf War]] in 1991, when the audience brought gas masks; in 2007, it played for an entirely Arab audience in Nazareth.<ref name=LATimes /> He claims to have a deep kinship with Israel's musicians and the spirit and tradition of the Jewish people.<ref name=Chicago /> He adds that conducting the IPO is "something I do for my heart".<ref name=Chicago /> Recalling those earlier years, he says: "How I would love to see that sight again today, of Arabs and Jews hugging each other. I'm a positive thinker. I know this day will come."<ref name=LATimes />

In 1978, Mehta left the Los Angeles Philharmonic to become music director for the [[New York Philharmonic]] (NYP).<ref name=LATimes>"Classical Music", ''Los Angeles Times'', 28 January 2007</ref> Among the reasons he wanted to direct the NYP was that it allowed him to experiment with new ideas, such as taking the orchestra to Harlem. There, they played at the Abyssinian Baptist Church each year. Accompanying the orchestra with Mehta for various concerts were [[Isaac Stern]], [[Itzhak Perlman]], and [[Kathleen Battle]].<ref name=LATimes /> He stayed with the NYP until 1991.<ref name=LATimes />

{{external media|float=right|width=200px|audio1=You may hear Zubin Mehta with the [[Israel Philharmonic]] in [[Antonin Dvorak]]'s Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 in 1968 [https://archive.org/details/lp_israel-philharmonic-tour-1968-symphony-n_antonin-dvoak-israel-philharmonic-orchestr/disc1/01.01.+Symphony+No.+7+In+D+Minor%2C+Op.+70%3A+Allegro+Maestoso.mp3 <br /> '''Here on Archive.org''']}}

From 1985 to 2017, Mehta was chief conductor of the Teatro del [[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]] in Florence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://firenze.repubblica.it/tempo-libero/articoli/musica/2015/04/13/news/mehta_il_mio_contratto_col_maggio_fino_al_2017_poi_saro_un_uccello_libero_-111877036/|title=La Repubblica, 13 April 2015|access-date=7 May 2016}}</ref> From 1998 until 2006, he was music director of the [[Bavarian State Opera]] in Munich. The [[Munich Philharmonic]] named him its Honorary Conductor. Since 2005, Mehta has been the main conductor of the [[Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía|Palau de les Arts]], the new opera house of the [[Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències]] in [[Valencia]], Spain.

While he was the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Mehta commissioned [[Ravi Shankar]]'s Concerto No. 2 for sitar and orchestra. Following New York performances, the concerto was later recorded with the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]].<ref name=Score>Mehta, Zubin. ''Zubin Mehta: The Score of My Life'', Hal Leonard Corp. (2006), translated from Droemer Verlag (Germany) (2006)</ref>{{rp|vii}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Zubin-Mehta-2.jpg|title=Photo of album cover for "Ravi Sharkar and Zubin Mehta, Sitar Concerto No. 2"|access-date=20 May 2017|archive-date=25 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925230158/http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/Zubin-Mehta-2.jpg|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnFYxh2wQys&list=PLbBfVVaL_GQOrLvtreprQ_27ohbjifr4n |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/dnFYxh2wQys |archive-date=13 November 2021 |url-status=live|title=Ravi Shankar, Mian Ki Malhar, Raga-Mala, Sitar Concerto 2, Roerich|date=30 January 2011 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===1990s===
In 1998, he went to Munich where he began directing the [[Bavarian State Opera]], because, he said, it provided "another panorama for me, to be involved in the running of an opera house".<ref name=LATimes/>

In 1990, he conducted the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in the first ever [[Three Tenors]] concert in Rome, joining the tenors again in 1994 at the [[Dodger Stadium]], Los Angeles. In between those appearances, he conducted the historic 1992 production of ''[[Tosca]]'' in which each act took place in the actual setting and at the actual time specified in the score. This production starred [[Catherine Malfitano]] in the title role, [[Plácido Domingo]] as Cavaradossi and [[Ruggero Raimondi]] as Baron Scarpia. Act I was telecast live from Rome's Basilica of [[Sant'Andrea della Valle]] on Saturday, 11 July, at noon (Central European Daylight Saving Time); act II was telecast later that evening from the [[Palazzo Farnese]] at 9:40&nbsp;p.m.; act III was telecast live on Sunday, 12 July, at&nbsp;7:00&nbsp;am from the [[Castel Sant'Angelo]], also known as Hadrian's Tomb.

[[File:Zubin Mehta at NCPA.jpg|thumb|left|Mehta conducting the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] in Mumbai, October 2008]]
In June 1994, Mehta performed the [[Requiem (Mozart)|Mozart Requiem]] with the members of the [[Sarajevo]] Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the ruins of Sarajevo's National Library, in a fundraising concert for the victims of armed conflict and remembrance of the thousands of people killed in the [[Yugoslav Wars]]. On 29 August 1999, he conducted Mahler's [[Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 2]] (''Resurrection''), at the vicinity of [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] in [[Weimar]], with the [[Bavarian State Orchestra]] and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra sitting alongside each other.

He toured India (Mumbai) in 1984 with the New York Philharmonic, and again in November–December 1994 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, along with soloists [[Itzhak Perlman]] and [[Gil Shaham]]. In 1997 and 1998, Mehta worked in collaboration with Chinese film director [[Zhang Yimou]] on a production of [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s opera ''[[Turandot]]'', which they took to Florence and to Beijing, where it was staged in its actual surroundings in the Forbidden City, with over 300 extras and 300 soldiers, for nine historic performances. The making of this production was chronicled in the documentary ''The Turandot Project'', which Mehta narrated.

Mehta was a guest conductor for the [[American Russian Young Artists Orchestra]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/ccsi/usnisorg/educultr/aryo.htm|title=The American Russian Youth Orchestra (ARYO)|website=www.friends-partners.org|access-date=29 December 2020|archive-date=10 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210055737/http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/ccsi/usnisorg/educultr/aryo.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bard.edu/news/releases/pr/fstory.php?id=53|title=AMERICAN RUSSIAN YOUNG ARTISTS ORCHESTRA OPENS AMERICAN TOUR WITH SPECIAL CONCERT AT BARD COLLEGE ON MONDAY, JUNE 14, AT 7 P.M. &#124; Bard College Public Relations|first=Bard Public|last=Relations|website=www.bard.edu}}</ref>

===2000s===
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 8929 Shalit concert.JPG|thumb| Mehta in 2010]]
On 26 December 2005, the first anniversary of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|Indian Ocean tsunami]], Mehta and the Bavarian State Orchestra performed for the first time in [[Chennai]] (formerly Madras) at the [[Madras Music Academy]]. This [[tsunami]] memorial concert was organized by the German consulate in Chennai along with the Max-Mueller Bhavan/[[Goethe-Institut]]. 2006 was his last year with the Bavarian State Orchestra.

===2010s===
In 2011, Mehta's performance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at [[The Proms]] in London was picketed and interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters,<ref>da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/arts/music/zubin-mehta-of-the-israel-philharmonic-on-that-nations-affairs.html?ref=arts&_r=0 "Political Views Test the Harmony"], ''The New York Times'', 19 March 2014.</ref> which caused the BBC to halt the live radio relay of the concert, the first such incident in Proms history. In September 2013, Mehta appeared with the [[Bavarian State Orchestra]] at a special concert, ''Ehsaas e Kashmir'', organized by the German Embassy in India, at Mughal Gardens, [[Srinagar]]. Mehta and the orchestra renounced their usual fees for this concert.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zubin Mehta's Kashmir Concert begins in Srinagar amid Protests|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2013/09/zubin-mehtas-kashmir-concert-begins-in-srinagar-amid-protests/|access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref>

In October 2015, he returned to [[Chennai]] to perform with the [[Australian World Orchestra|Australian World Orchestra (AWO)]] at the [[Madras Music Academy]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zubin Mehta Brings Shower of Melodies to Chennai|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2015/oct/29/zubin-mehta-brings-shower-of-melodies-to-chennai-835906.html|first=Roshne |last=Balasubramanian|access-date=22 June 2020|website=The New Indian Express|date=29 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Alexander|first=Deepa|date=29 October 2015|title=A perfect score by Zubin Mehta|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/zubin-mehta-in-chennai/article7815034.ece|access-date=22 June 2020|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

In 2016, the Harbin Symphony Orchestra and the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] performed two concerts conducted by Mehta in the frame of 33rd Harbin Summer Music Festival at [[Harbin Concert Hall]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/arts/music/in-china-rejuvenating-a-classical-music-heritage-linked-to-a-jewish-community.html|title=In China, Rejuvenating a Classical Music Heritage Linked to a Jewish Community|last=Qin|first=Amy|date=9 August 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=8 May 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In December 2016, the Israel Philharmonic announced that Mehta would conclude his tenure as music director in October 2019.<ref>{{cite news | title=Zubin Mehta announces retirement from Israel Philharmonic | url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Zubin-Mehta-announces-retirement-from-Israel-Philharmonic-476574 | work=The Jerusalem Post| date=26 December 2016 | access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref> He now has the title of music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic.

In August 2022, Mehta conducted the [[Australian World Orchestra|Australian World Orchestra (AWO)]] in [[Sydney]] and [[Melbourne]] at Concert Hall, [[Sydney Opera House]] and Hamer Hall, [[Arts Centre Melbourne]]. He also conducted the AWO at the [[Edinburgh International Festival]] and the [[BBC Proms|BBC Proms 2022]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Media – Australian World Orchestra |date=19 July 2020 |url=https://www.australianworldorchestra.com.au/about-us/media/|website=Australianworldorchestra.com.au |access-date=28 April 2022 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Mehta's first marriage was to Canadian soprano Carmen Lasky in 1958. They have a son, Mervon (since April 2009, Executive Director of Performing Arts for The Royal Conservatory in Toronto), and a daughter, Zarina. In 1964 they divorced.<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841207-8,00.html Gypsy Boy], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''.</ref> Two years after the divorce, Carmen married Mehta's brother, [[Zarin Mehta]], formerly the Executive Director of the [[New York Philharmonic]]. In July 1969, Mehta married [[Nancy Kovack]], an American former film and television actress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theclassicalstation.org/trivia/15.shtmlinfo|title=Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians|website=Theclassicalstation.org}}</ref> A permanent resident of the United States, Mehta retains his Indian citizenship.<ref name=TheJC>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/zubin-mehta-israel-has-lost-europe-now-it-is-losing-america-1.66136|title=Zubin Mehta: 'Israel has lost Europe. Now it is losing America'|work=The Jewish Chronicle|date=16 April 2015|access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref>

One of his close friends was [[Ravi Shankar]], whom he first met in the 1960s when Mehta directed him with the Montreal Symphony. Their friendship continued after they were both living in Los Angeles and later in New York. "This was a wonderful period in my life and Zubin and I really had a great time."<ref name=Score/>{{rp|vii}}

His second daughter Alexandra was born in Los Angeles in 1967.<ref name="Mid-day">{{cite news|url=https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/Zubin-Mehta-biography-extract--At-first--my-mother-thought-it-was-incest-17119178|title=Zubin Mehta biography extract: At first, my mother thought it was incest|agency=[[Mid-day]]|date=10 April 2016|access-date=1 September 2021}}</ref>
His son Ori was born in the 1990s as the result of an [[extra-marital]] affair in Israel during Mehta's second marriage.<ref>[https://www.jta.org/1999/08/23/default/conductor-zubin-mehta-admits-he-has-son-living-in-the-jewish-state] {{Dead link|date=November 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="Mid-day"/>

==Honours and awards==
[[File:2006 Kennedy Center honorees.jpg|thumb|330px|U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] and First Lady [[Laura Bush]] stand with the [[Kennedy Center]] honourees in the [[Blue Room (White House)|Blue Room]] of the [[White House]] during a reception Sunday, 3 December 2006. From left, they are singer and songwriter [[Smokey Robinson]]; [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]; country singer [[Dolly Parton]]; film director [[Steven Spielberg]]; and Zubin Mehta. ]]
*In 1965, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Sir George Williams University]], which later became [[Concordia University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.concordia.ca/mehta|title=Honorary Degree Citation – Zubin Mehta {{!}} Concordia University Archives|website=archives.concordia.ca|access-date=29 March 2016|archive-date=2 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002145215/http://archives.concordia.ca/mehta|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Mehta's name is mentioned in the song [[Billy the Mountain]] on the 1972 album ''[[Just Another Band from L.A.]]'' by [[Frank Zappa]] and [[The Mothers of Invention]]. Cellist Kurt Reher, who played when Mehta conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was also a guest musician with The Mothers of Invention.<ref>[http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Kurt_Reher Kurt Reher], Zappa wiki</ref>
*At the [[Israel Prize]] ceremony in 1991, Mehta was awarded a special prize in recognition of his unique devotion to Israel and to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1995, he became a Laureate of the [[Wolf Prize in Arts]]. In 1999, Mehta was presented the "Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award" of the United Nations.
*The [[Government of India]] honoured Mehta in 1966 with the [[Padma Bhushan]] and in 2001 with India's second highest civilian award, the [[Padma Vibhushan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Padma Awards|publisher=[[Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)|Ministry of Communications and Information Technology]])|url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php?start=0&award_year=&state=&field=3&p_name=Mehta&award=All|access-date=16 May 2009}}</ref>
*In September 2006, the [[Kennedy Center]] announced Mehta as one of the recipients of that year's [[Kennedy Center Honors]], presented on 3 December 2006.
*In February 2007, Mehta was the recipient of the Second Annual Bridgebuilder Award at [[Loyola Marymount University]].
*Mehta is an honorary citizen of Florence and Tel Aviv. He was made an honorary member of the [[Vienna State Opera]] in 1997. In 2001 he was bestowed the title of "Honorary Conductor" of the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] and in 2004 the [[Munich Philharmonic]] awarded him the same title, as did the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 2006. At the end of his tenure with the Bavarian State Opera, he was named Honorary Conductor of the Bavarian State Orchestra and Honorary Member of the Bavarian State Opera, and the [[Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde]], Wien, appointed him an honorary member in November 2007.
* Also in 2007 Mehta received the prestigious [[Dan David Prize]]. Conductor [[Karl Böhm]] awarded Mehta the Nikisch Ring – the Vienna Philharmonic Ring of Honor.
*In October 2008, Mehta received the [[Praemium Imperiale]] (World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu), Japan.
*In March 2011, Mehta received the 2,434th star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]. In October 2011 he received the [[Echo (music award)#Echo Klassik|Echo Klassik]] in Berlin, for his life's work.<ref>"Zubin Mehta erhält Echo Klassik-Preis". In: ''[[Saarbrücker Zeitung]]'', 5 August 2011, p. B4.</ref>
*In September 2013, President of India [[Pranab Mukherjee]] awarded him the [[Tagore Award]] 2013 for his outstanding contribution towards cultural harmony.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zubin Mehta awarded with Tagore Award 2013 for Cultural Harmony
|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2013/09/zubin-mehta-awarded-with-tagore-award-for-cultural-harmony-2013/|website=News.biharprabha.com|date=6 September 2013|access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>
*In January 2019, the Los Angeles Philharmonic named Mehta as their Conductor Emeritus.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zubin Mehta named LA Phil "Conductor Emeritus", will return in 2019/20 season|url=https://allisyar.com/2019/01/04/zubin-mehta-named-la-phil-conductor-emeritus-will-return-in-2019-20-season|author=CK Dexter Haven|website=Allisyar.com|date=4 January 2019|access-date=4 January 2019}}</ref>
*In February 2019, the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] made Mehta an honorary member as an expression of gratitude for their long association.<ref>[https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/titelgeschichten/20182019/zubin-mehta/ "Honorary Membership for Zubin Mehta"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206042826/https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/titelgeschichten/20182019/zubin-mehta/ |date=6 December 2019 }}, [[Berlin Philharmonic]], February 2019</ref>
*In September 2019, President of Slovenia [[Borut Pahor]] conferred the Golden Order of Merit on Zubin Mehta for his contribution to music and the inspiring effort to connect people and nations with this form of art.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zubin Mehta receives presidential decoration, 2019|url=https://english.sta.si/2673328/conductor-zubin-mehta-receives-presidential-decoration|website=English.sta.si|access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref>
*In November 2020, the [[World Jewish Congress]] presented Mehta with their fifth [[Teddy Kollek]] Award for the Advancement of Jewish Culture.<ref>[https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/UN-Secretary-General-to-receive-World-Jewish-Congress%E2%80%99-highest-honor-11-1-2020 "UN Secretary-General addresses world Jewry, calls fight against antisemitism 'personal' and commits to building global coalition against bigotry"], 9 November 2020, [[World Jewish Congress]]</ref>
*In September 2022, was appointed an Honorary Companion of the [[Order of Australia]] by the [[Governor-General of Australia]] [[David Hurley]] in recognition of his eminent service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship and humanity-at-large, particularly in the fields of classical music and philanthropy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 September 2022 |title=Maestro Zubin Mehta awarded Companion of the Order of Australia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/classic/read-and-watch/news/zubin-mehta-companion-of-the-order-of-australia/101399298 |access-date=3 September 2022 |website=ABC Classic |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Films==
Mehta's life was documented in [[Terry Sanders]]'s film ''[[Portrait of Zubin Mehta]]'' (1968). Another documentary about Mehta, ''Zubin and I'', was produced by the grandson of an Israeli harpist who played with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra before Mehta assumed the helm. The filmmaker joins the orchestra on a tour of Mumbai and meets with him for two interviews, in India and Tel Aviv.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149076.html|title=The redhead and the maestro – Haaretz – Israel News|date=13 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213081738/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149076.html|archive-date=13 February 2010}}</ref>

In [[Christopher Nupen]]'s 1969 documentary ''The Trout'' about a performance of [[Franz Schubert|Schubert's]] ''[[Trout Quintet]]'' in London by [[Jacqueline du Pré]], [[Daniel Barenboim]], [[Pinchas Zukerman]], [[Itzhak Perlman]] and Mehta, he plays the double bass.<ref name=Opera>[http://www.opera.co.uk/view-review.php?reviewID=31 "Zubin Mehta"] by John Allison, ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]''</ref>

Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic are featured in Alan Miller's 1973 film ''[[The Bolero]]''.

Mehta was also mentioned in the novel ''[[Master of the Game (novel)|Master of the Game]]'' (1982) by [[Sidney Sheldon]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Mehta has played himself as the pivotal figure in ''[[On Wings of Fire]]'', a 1986 film about the history of [[Zoroastrianism]] and prophet [[Zoroaster|Zarathushtra]].

''Zubin Mehta: In Rehearsal'' (1996) depicts Mehta rehearsing ''[[Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks]]'' with the Israel Philharmonic.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Mehta and his [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra|orchestra]] stars in the 2017 Spanish film documentary ''[[Dancing Beethoven]]'', which tells the preparation of the [[Ninth Symphony (Beethoven)|Ninth Symphony]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dancing Beethoven |url=http://www.antena3.com/se-estrena/noticias/dancing-beethoven_2017042459034b830cf2461b6ded6015.html |work=[[Antena 3 Noticias]] |date=28 April 2017 |access-date=30 April 2017 |location=Madrid |language=es}}</ref> The film was nominated in the [[32nd Goya Awards]] for Best Documentary Film and in the XXIII Premio Cinematográfico José María Forqué.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dancing Beethoven, nominada a los Premios Goya y Forqué |url=https://www.mundoclasico.com/articulo/30394/Dancing-Beethoven-nominada-a-los-Premios-Goya-y-Forqué |date=27 December 2017 |access-date=9 April 2018 |work=Mundo Clásico |language=es |author=Redacción}}</ref>

{{citation needed-span|date=April 2020|text=A 2008 release by Unitel Classica/Medici Arts presents Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in performances of the Bassoon Concerto by Mozart, the Concerto for Orchestra by Bartók and three pieces of Dvořák including his 8th Symphony. These were filmed in January 1977.}}

==Educational projects==
In 2009, Mehta established Mifneh ([[Hebrew]] for "change"), a music education program for [[Israeli Arabs]], in cooperation with [[Bank Leumi]] and the Arab-Israel Bank. Three schools, in [[Shfaram]], the [[Jezreel Valley]] and [[Nazareth]], are taking part in the pilot project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1149077.html|title=A baton that unites bankers and music lovers|website=Haaretz.com}}</ref>

He and his brother Zarin constitute the Advisor Council of the Mehli Mehta Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=6 September 2011 |url=http://www.mmmfindia.org/committees.html |publisher=Mehli Mehta Foundation |title=Advisory Council, Trustees & committees |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402052847/http://www.mmmfindia.org/committees.html |archive-date=2 April 2012 }}</ref>

In 2005, Mehta and philanthropist Josef Buchmann founded the [[Buchmann-Mehta School of Music]] as a partnership between Tel Aviv University and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Mehta is the school's honorary president and has remained actively involved since its inception.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 April 2005 |title=First chair: After years of hardship, the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University is finally playing a new tune |work=The Jerusalem Post }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Martin Bookspan]] and [[Ross Yockey]], ''Zubin: The Zubin Mehta Story'', Harper & Row, 1978 {{ISBN|978-0-06-120400-5}}
* Renate von Matuschka, ''Die Partitur meines Lebens'', Droemer/Knaur, 2006 {{ISBN|978-3-426-27377-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Zubin Mehta}}
*{{official|http://www.zubinmehta.net/}}
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=q39859}}
*{{discogs artist|Zubin Mehta}}
*{{IMDb name|0576590}}
* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/mehta.html Two interviews with Zubin Mehta] by Bruce Duffie, 8 December 1993 and 29 February 1996
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mhfc Zubin Mehta] interview on BBC Radio 4 ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 6 July 1984
* {{YouTube|LtlN6_qILkk|Zubin Mehta, Happy Birthday Variation, Symphony}}, {{YouTube|TuyYSaKQ6z0|Zubin Mehta: Variations on "Happy Birthday"|link=no}}
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002pxs2 Image of Zubin Mehta conducting Los Angeles Philharmonic at Peninsula Music Fair in Palos Verdes, Calif., 1975.] Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002w1jk Image of Zubin Mehta conducting peace music from Handel's Messiah at UCLA's Royce Hall Quad,1970.] Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-culture}}}}
{{succession box | title=[[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra|Music Director, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]] | before=[[Jean Martinon]] (Music Advisor)| years=1977–2019 | after=[[Lahav Shani]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Maggio Musicale Fiorentino|Chief Conductor, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]] | before=[[Riccardo Muti]] | years=1985–2017 | after=[[Fabio Luisi]]}}
{{S-end}}

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