ZUBIN MEHTA has been named conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The appointment was announced from the stage of Walt Disney Concert Hall by LA Phil CEO Simon Woods during a January 3 concert led by Mehta. In 1962, Mehta was appointed LA Phil music director at the age of 26, and served through 1978. During his sixteen seasons in Los Angeles, he worked to break down cultural and social barriers in the orchestral music world and to position the orchestra as a resource for the entire community. Under Mehta’s leadership, the LA Phil appeared with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at UCLA, performed free concerts in African American and Latino communities, and moved from Philharmonic Hall to the new Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Mehta was music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1961 to 1967, and music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1991. In 1969, he was appointed music adviser to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1981 he was named its Music Director for Life. From 1985 to 2017, he was chief conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy. Mehta will return to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as conductor emeritus in the 2019-20 season.
Posted January 14, 2019
