Zubin Mehta was born on the 29th April 1936, in Mumbai, India, and is a conductor of Western classical music, best known to the world as the Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the main conductor of Valencia’s opera house. His career started in the late ‘50s.
Have you ever wondered how rich Zubin Mehta is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Mehta’s net worth is as high as $10 million, earned through his successful career in the music industry.
Zubin Mehta Net Worth $10 Million
Zubin comes from a musical family of Mehil and Tehmina Mehta. Zubin, as he father was a violinist and conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. Zubin went to St. Mary’s School, located in his hometown, and after matriculation, he enrolled at St. Xavier’s College, also in Mumbai. During his educational years, apart from school, Zubin also attended piano lessons, held by Joseph de Lima. Although he wanted to study medicine, Mehta decided for music, studying under Hans Swarowsky in Vienna.
He used every chance he got in Vienna, and in 1958 made his conducting debut. He soon won his first conducting competition – the International Conducting Competition in Liverpool. Thanks to this success, Zubin became assistant conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Little by little Zubin’s name became more reputable, and in 1960 he became the Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, in which position he served for the next seven years, which considerably increased his net worth.
Then from 1962 to 1978 he held the position of Music Director of the orchestra of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1970 he gave one of his most notable performances, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which was a finale of the legendary 12-hour Beethoven Marathon, held on Beethoven’s 200th birthday.
Thanks to his success, in 1969 he became Music Advisor for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and then in 1977 he became Music Director, only to be named as Director for Life in 1981. After his stint in Los Angeles ended, he became the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic.
He continued to expand his influence throughout the world, and in 1985 he served for the first time as the chief conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, and served until 2017 in the position. His next notable enterprise was conducting the 1992 production of Tosca, with Catherine Malfitano in the title role, Plácido Domingo playing Cavaradossi and Ruggero Raimondi as Baron Scarpia. Two years later Zubin was in Sarajevo, Bosnia, performing the Mozart Requiem with the Sarajevo Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, at the ruins of Sarajevo’s National Library. It was a charity concert, and all profit went to the victims of Yugoslav Wars.
In the mid- 2000s he and the Bavarian State Orchestra were in Chennai, for the first time, in the first anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami concert. In 2011, he performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at The Proms in London; however, the concert was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Most recently, Zubin performed with Vienna Philharmonic on the 29th April 2016 for his 80th birthday,y in the “Golden Hall” of Vienna’s Musikverein. It was an all-Beethoven concert.
Thanks to his successful career, Zubin has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades, including an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, now Concordia University, then in 1991 a special prize in recognition of his unique devotion to Israel and to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, given by the State of Israel. Furthermore, in 1999 he received the Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award of the United Nations, while in 2001 he received India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. In 2006 he was honored by Kennedy Center Honors, while in 2013 President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented Mehta with the Tagore Award for his outstanding contribution towards cultural harmony.
Regarding his personal life, Zubin has been married to film and television actress Nancy Kovack since 1969. Previously, he was married to Carmen Lasky from 1958 until 1964; the couple has two children together.
