Zubin Mehta

Born in Bombay in 1936 to the founder of the city's symphony, Mehta left for the Vienna State Music Academy at 18 and emerged three years later with a conductor's diploma and a string of competition wins. At 21 he was already on the podium of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The 1960s brought a succession of substitute gigs under celebrated maestros, then the real chairs: Montreal in 1961, Los Angeles in 1962 - at 26, the youngest music director of any major North American orchestra. In 1969 Israel appointed him music adviser; by 1981 it was for life. He took the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1991, Florence's Maggio Musicale from 1985 to 2017, racking up honorary citizenships, opera memberships, and conductor emeritus titles across three continents. In January 2026, seventy years into the career, he canceled every Israeli engagement over Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza.