It is hardly surprising that Zarin Mehta, Ravinia’s new executive director, was brought up steeped in Western classical music despite his having been born and raised in India. His father Mehli Mehta was a violinist and the founder and concertmaster of the Bombay Symphony, so it was only natural that his children should develop such an interest. (Mehta’s brother is Zubin, the internationally known conductor and music director of the New York Philharmonic.)
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Mehta’s early exposure to Western culture wasn’t the only unusual aspect of his upbringing. Mehta and his family are Parsi, which means they practice Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, making them a minority in India. “The very simplistic basis of the religion is: good thoughts, good words, good deeds,” says Mehta. “You can’t do better than that.”
Parsis came to Bombay from Persia during the Muslim conversion in the seventh century. “Our ancestors were given the choice of staying in Iran and becoming Muslims, or leaving. A handful of us settled north of Bombay where the situation was more tolerant, where we were allowed to continue practicing our religion, as long as we didn’t proselytize or intermarry. We stayed a small, tightly-knit community that looked after ourselves, and we eventually were brought into the cultural, governmental, and business life of the country. Much as the Jews of central Europe during the same time, we became the bankers and leading businessmen of the country.”
Under Mehta’s nine-year tenure as managing director, which coincided with Charles Dutoit’s as music director, the Montreal Symphony became one of the most respected orchestras in North America. Income increased fivefold, subscriptions nearly doubled, and the operating budget tripled. The orchestra has also become widely known through its more than 50 recordings and its syndicated radio broadcasts, as well as through tours to Europe and throughout the States, including a tour that opened the 1988 Ravinia season. But despite the orchestra’s reputation, Mehta says, he could not bring in many big-name conductors or soloists. “Montreal just wasn’t on their circuit.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Paul L. merideth.
