Born in Bombay, India, in a family of musicians (his father is the founder of the Bombay Symphonic Orchestra. He was also the Music Director of the American Youth Orchestra in Los Angeles). Mehta first began practicing violin, as well as conduct ing, together with his father. He graduated from the Music Academy of Viena (cello, composition, conducting with Swarowski). He also took master classes at the Academia Chigiana (with Galliera and Zecchi)and in Tanglewood (with Cavalho), mak ing his spectacular debut as a conductor. A few years later he had the chance of conducting for the very first time the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berliner Philharmoniker. He was Musical Director for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the philharmonics of Los Angeles, New York, Israel. He was invited as guest conduc tor at Covent Garden, London, Staatsoper Viena, La Scala in Milan, Metropolitan Opera in New York, etc. Zubin Mehta had an intense activity with the Orchestra "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" (where he was named principal conductor in 1985, and then Musical Director in 1986). Together with this orchestra, he participated in prestigious tours and important projects in the lyric field:the wag nerian tetralogy:Das Ring der Nibelungen , the Mozart Da Ponte Trilogy, Schönberg's Moses und Aaron (for which he was awarded the "Abbiati" Critique Award), Puccini's Turandot in the Forbidden City in Beijing, etc. He also made a large number of recordings together with "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" . In 1990 and 1995 he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic for the traditional New Year concerts. In Paris, he conducted the television productions of Tosca and La Traviata . He was also a conductor for the world pre miere works of Penderecki, Barber, Reich, Druckman etc. At present, Zubin Mehta is the Musical Director of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and also permanent Musical Director of the Israel Philharmonic. He was awarded many honorific titles and medals.

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