Zubin Mehta Quotes

India, Conductor
April 29, 1936

Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is currently music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO). Mehta's father was the founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, and from him, he received his early musical education. When he was 18 he enrolled in the Vienna state music academy where he graduated after three years with a diploma as a conductor. He began winning international competitions and conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at age 21. Beginning in the 1960s Mehta gained experience by substituting for celebrated maestros throughout the world.

Also known as Music Director

There was an opinion expressed in the newspapers that, after 20 years, maybe the Israel Philharmonic should consider asking me to leave. I thought they might have a point, so I asked my orchestra. They told me overwhelmingly that they wanted me to stay.

Zubin Mehta
- Opinion
- Thought
- Might
My father was a trained accountant, a BCom from Sydenham College and a self-taught violinist. In the 1920s, when he was in his teens, he heard a great violinist, Jascha Heifetz, and he was so inspired listening to him that he bought himself a violin, and with a little help from an Italian teacher, he learned to play it.

Zubin Mehta
- Great
- Help
- Father

Citizens of India, Pakistan, and Kashmir need to come together and make music.

Zubin Mehta
- Music
- Together
- India
I'm really not a party person. I'm in the business of working with 100 people every day, so I don't revel in meeting a roomful of people in my leisure time.

Zubin Mehta
- People
- Time
- Business
Israel gives the West Bank water twice a week! One way of promoting good would be not to ration water.

Zubin Mehta
- Good
- Water
- Week
My tastes are Viennese.

Zubin Mehta
- Tastes
I have had bullets flying at concerts, but I don't want to talk about that.

Zubin Mehta
- Want
- Flying
- Talk
Let's try to count the number of Nobel prize-winners that have emerged from scientific centres of excellence like the Weizmann Institute and Haifa's technical university, the Technion. There has to be at least 25.

Zubin Mehta
- Like
- Try
- Excellence

The New York Philharmonic is a tremendous opportunity, a great orchestra.

Zubin Mehta
- Great
- Opportunity
- New
Just imagine, the thousands and thousands of concerts that take place every single day, all over the world. And the positive effect that they would have on the people listening. Now imagine a world without this. This void... it is unthinkable.

Zubin Mehta
- People
- World
- Single
The private sector is growing so incredibly in India, in every city you have industries for whom building a concert hall would be nothing financially. But they just don't do it.

Zubin Mehta
- Growing
- City
- Building
I feel that the critic and music director should have such a good relationship they can pick up the phone and call each other any time.

Zubin Mehta
- Up
- Time
- Good
Throughout Jack's violin solo at the Hollywood Bowl, the audience was glued to their seats. That was the only way he could get them to sit down.

Zubin Mehta
I've never said, 'I live for art.'

Zubin Mehta
- Live
- Art
- Said