Zubin Mehta was born on April 29, 1936. He is an Indian conductor who specializes in Western classical music. He is the retired music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and the retired conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Mehta’s father started the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. Mehta learned music from his father during his childhood. At age 18, he joined the Vienna State Music Academy and completed his studies there in three years, earning a diploma in conducting. He began winning international competitions and conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at age 21. Starting in the 1960s, he gained experience by taking over for famous conductors around the world.

Mehta was the music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1961 to 1967 and of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1962 to 1978. He was the youngest music director ever for any major North American orchestra, a record now shared with Gustavo Dudamel, who was hired by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007 at age 26. In 1969, he became a music adviser to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and was named its lifetime music director in 1981. From 1978 to 1991, Mehta was the music director of the New York Philharmonic. He also served as chief conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence from 1985 to 2017.

Mehta is an honorary citizen of Florence, Italy, and Tel Aviv, Israel. He was made an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera in 1997 and of the Bavarian State Opera in 2006. Many orchestras around the world have given him the title of honorary conductor. Recently, he toured with the Bavarian State Opera and continued to conduct as a guest. In December 2006, he received the Kennedy Center Honor. In October 2008, he was honored by the Japanese Imperial Family with the Praemium Imperiale. In 2016, Mehta was named honorary conductor of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy.

Mehta was a member of the executive committee of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a group that supports Israel.

Early years and education

Mehta was born into a Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, during the British Raj. He was the older son of Mehli (1908–2002) and Tehmina (Daruvala) Mehta. His native language is Gujarati. His father was a self-taught violinist who started and led the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and later the American Youth Symphony. His father conducted the American Youth Symphony for 33 years after moving to Los Angeles. Before that, his father lived in New York to study with violinist Ivan Galamian, a well-known teacher who also taught Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. His father returned to Bombay as an expert violinist trained in the Russian style. Mehta has said that people often tell him how much they loved his father when he conducts in the U.S.

Mehta described his childhood as being surrounded by music at home. He likely learned to speak Gujarati and sing at the same time. He said his father had a strong influence on him and listened to his father’s quartet daily after his father returned from the U.S. after World War II. Mehta was first taught to play the violin and piano by his father. When he was a teenager, his father let him lead sectional rehearsals of the Bombay Symphony. At sixteen, he conducted the full orchestra during rehearsals.

Mehta graduated from St. Mary's School, Mumbai, and later studied medicine at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, at his mother’s request. His mother wanted him to choose a more respected profession than music. At eighteen, he left after two years to move to Vienna, a major European music center, to study music under Hans Swarowsky at the state music academy. He lived on $75 per month and was a contemporary of conductor Claudio Abbado and conductor-pianist Daniel Barenboim.

He stayed at the academy for three years, during which he also studied the double bass and played it in the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Swarowsky recognized Mehta’s abilities early, calling him a "demoniac conductor" who "had it all." 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.

Mehta graduated in 1957 at age 21 with a diploma in conducting. In 1958, he entered the Liverpool International Conductor’s Competition with 100 contestants and won 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 very positive reviews.

He then won third place at the summer academy at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts. At that competition, he caught the attention of Charles Munch, then the conductor of the Boston Symphony, who later helped his career. In 1958, he chose to perform only Schoenberg’s music in a concert, which was so successful that he accepted further bookings. That same year, he married Carmen Lasky, a Canadian voice student he met in Vienna.

Conducting career

In 1960 and 1961, Mehta replaced famous conductors worldwide and received praise for his performances. In 1960, he led a series of concerts with the Vienna Symphony and later conducted his first concert in New York with the New York Philharmonic.

Mehta has the ability to control an orchestra’s sound using simple gestures, each of which clearly affects the music. He is known for creating calm or grand musical moods that are rare among younger conductors.

In 1960, with help from Charles Munch, Mehta became the chief conductor and music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, a role he held until 1967. By 1961, he had already conducted the Vienna, Berlin, and Israel Philharmonic orchestras. In 1962, he led the Montreal Symphony and Canadian musicians on a tour to Moscow, Leningrad, Paris, and Vienna. Mehta was nervous about his concert in Vienna, a city known as the "capital of Western music." His performance there earned a 20-minute ovation, 14 curtain calls, and two encores.

In 1961, Mehta was named assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LAP), even though the orchestra’s music director, Georg Solti, was not consulted about the appointment and resigned in protest. The LAP had not had a permanent conductor for four years when Mehta began working with them.

Mehta became the music director of the LAP from 1962 to 1978. When he started in 1962, he was 26 years old, the youngest person ever to hold that title. Since he also conducted the Montreal Symphony during this time, he became the first person to lead two North American orchestras at the same time.

As the LAP’s first conductor in four years, Mehta worked to improve the orchestra’s sound, making it warmer and richer. He encouraged competition among musicians, changed assignments, gave promotions, and rearranged seating. He also inspired the musicians, as 21-year-old cellist Jacqueline du Pré said, “He provides a magic carpet for you to float on.” Cellist Kurt Reher recalled Mehta’s first rehearsal: “Within two beats, we were entranced. It seemed this young man had the ability and musical knowledge of someone 50 or 55 years old.”

In 1965, after Mehta conducted a performance of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, critic Alan Rich wrote, “Mehta brought a kind of brilliance to the score that has no peer in recent times… It was a powerful, breathless performance that still had plenty of energy.” He later conducted performances of Carmen, Tosca, and Turandot at the Met.

For Montreal’s Expo 67, Mehta conducted the Montreal and Los Angeles orchestras together in a performance of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. That same year, he conducted the world premiere of Marvin David Levy’s Mourning Becomes Electra.

By May 1967, Mehta’s schedule became too busy, so he left his position with the Montreal Symphony. That fall, he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic on an eight-week tour to Vienna, Paris, Athens, and Bombay. By 1968, his popularity kept him extremely busy, including 22 weeks of concerts with the LAP, 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. Time magazine featured him on its cover in January 1968. In 1969, his schedule remained equally busy.

In 1970, Mehta performed with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, where 12,000 people attended. No official recording of the performance exists, though some unofficial recordings are available.

In 1978, Mehta became the music director and principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic and remained there until 1991.

He became the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) in 1977. He first guest conducted the IPO in 1961 and toured with the orchestra in 1966. During the 1967 Arab–Israeli war, he returned to Israel to conduct special concerts to show support for its people. He was named the IPO’s music advisor in 1969, music director in 1977, and its lifetime music director in 1981.

Over five decades, Mehta conducted the IPO in thousands of concerts in Israel and abroad. He led performances in South Lebanon in 1982, where Arabs rushed onstage to hug the musicians. He conducted the IPO during the Gulf War in 1991, when the audience brought gas masks, and in 2007, when the orchestra played for an entirely Arab audience in Nazareth. Mehta said he feels a deep connection to Israel’s musicians and the Jewish people’s spirit and traditions. He added that conducting the IPO is “something I do for my heart.” He once said, “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.”

In 1978, Mehta left the Los Angeles Philharmonic to become the music director of the New York Philharmonic (NYP). He wanted to direct the NYP to try new ideas, such as taking the orchestra to Harlem, where they played at the Abyssinian Baptist Church each year. Musicians like Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Kathleen Battle joined him for these concerts. He remained with the NYP until 1991.

From 1985 to 2017, Mehta was the chief conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence. From 1998 to 2006, he was the 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, an opera house in Valencia, Spain.

While conducting the New York Philharmonic, Me

Personal life

Zubin Mehta was known for his attractive appearance and showy style. He became famous for being very popular with women and was called “Zubie Baby.”

He married Canadian soprano Carmen Lasky in 1958. They had a son, who later became the executive director of performing arts for The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and a daughter. They divorced in 1964. Two years later, Lasky married Mehta’s brother, Zarin Mehta, who was once the executive director of the New York Philharmonic.

Mehta had a second daughter in 1967, born during an affair he had between his first and second marriages.

In July 1969, Mehta married Nancy Kovack, an American former film and television actress. During this marriage, he had a second son in the 1990s from an affair in Israel.

Mehta lives permanently in the United States but still holds Indian citizenship.

One of his close friends was Ravi Shankar, whom Mehta met in the 1960s when he directed Shankar with the Montreal Symphony. Their friendship continued when both lived 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,” Shankar said.

In January 2026, Mehta announced the cancellation of all his performances in Israel to protest how Benjamin Netanyahu was handling the Gaza War.

Honours and awards

• In 1965, he received an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, which later became Concordia University.
• 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.
• At the Israel Prize ceremony in 1991, Mehta was awarded a special prize for his unique devotion to Israel and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1995, he received the Wolf Prize in Arts. In 1999, he was given the "Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award" by the United Nations. In 2022, he was awarded the President's Medal by the Israeli President Shimon Peres.
• The Government of India honored Mehta in 1966 with the Padma Bhushan, its third-highest civilian award, and in 2001 with the Padma Vibhushan, its second-highest civilian award.
• In September 2006, the Kennedy Center announced Mehta as one of the recipients of that year's Kennedy Center Honors, presented on December 3, 2006.
• In February 2007, Mehta received 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 given the title of "Honorary Conductor" of the Vienna Philharmonic. 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. In November 2007, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Wien, appointed him an honorary member.
• 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 Klassik in Berlin for his life's work.
• In September 2013, President of India Pranab Mukherjee awarded him the Tagore Award 2013 for his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony.
• In January 2019, the Los Angeles Philharmonic named Mehta as their Conductor Emeritus.
• In February 2019, the Berlin Philharmonic made Mehta an honorary member as a sign of gratitude for their long association.
• In September 2019, President of Slovenia Borut Pahor conferred the Golden Order of Merit on Zubin Mehta for his contribution to music and for inspiring efforts to connect people and nations through art.
• In November 2020, the World Jewish Congress presented Mehta with their fifth Teddy Kollek Award for the Advancement of Jewish Culture.
• In September 2022, he was appointed an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia by the governor-general of Australia, David Hurley, in recognition of his outstanding service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship and humanity, particularly in the fields of classical music and philanthropy.

Films

Zubin Mehta's life was recorded in Terry Sanders' film Portrait of Zubin Mehta (1968). Another documentary, Zubin and I, was produced by the grandson of an Israeli harpist who had previously played with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra before Mehta took over as leader. The filmmaker joined the orchestra on a tour of Mumbai and conducted two interviews with Mehta in India and Tel Aviv.

In Christopher Nupen's 1969 documentary The Trout, which shows a performance of Schubert's Trout Quintet in London by Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, and Mehta, Mehta played the double bass.

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

Mehta was also mentioned in the novel Master of the Game (1982) by Sidney Sheldon.

Mehta appeared as the main character in the 1986 film On Wings of Fire, which explores the history of Zoroastrianism and the prophet Zarathushtra.

The 1996 film Zubin Mehta: In Rehearsal shows Mehta rehearsing Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks with the Israel Philharmonic.

Mehta and his orchestra were stars in the 2017 Spanish documentary Dancing Beethoven, which follows the preparation of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The film was nominated for Best Documentary Film at the 32nd Goya Awards and for the XXIII Premio Cinematográfico José María Forqué.

A 2008 release by Unitel Classica/Medici Arts includes performances by Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, and three works by Dvořák, including his 8th Symphony. These performances were filmed in January 1977.

Educational projects

In 2009, Mehta started Mifneh (Hebrew for "change"), a music education program for Israeli Arabs, by working together with Bank Leumi and the Arab-Israel Bank. Three schools in Shfaram, the Jezreel Valley, and Nazareth are part of the test program.

He and his brother Zarin are part of the Advisor Council of the Mehli Mehta Foundation.

In 2005, Mehta and philanthropist Josef Buchmann created 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 been actively involved since it began.