Mehta, Mehli

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Mehta, Mehli

Mehta, Mehli, Indian violinist and conductor, father of Zubin Mehta; b. Bombay, Sept. 25, 1908. He studied at the Univ. of Bombay and at Trinity Coll. of Music in London (licentiate, 1929). He founded the Bombay Sym. Orch. in 1935, serving as its concertmaster (until 1945) and then its conductor (until 1955). He subsequently was asst. concertmaster of the Halle Orch. in Manchester (1955–59). He then settled in the U.S., where he played in the Curtis String Quartet in Philadelphia (1959–64), then went to Los Angeles, where he founded the American Youth Sym. Orch. (1964). He also taught at the Univ. of Calif, there (1964–76), serving as conductor of its sym. and chamber orchs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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