Who was the first major performer of Western classical music from the Indian subcontinent?

Zubin Mehta was born in 1936 in Bombay, now Mumbai. His father Mehli (1908-2002) was a self-taught violinist who was also founder and principal conductor of the Bombay Symphony and provided his primary music education.

At age 18 Mehta enrolled at the Vienna State Music Academy, from which he graduated with a conducting diploma after three years. He began winning international competitions and conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at age 21. In the 1960s, Mehta gained experience by substituting for celebrated maestros throughout the world.

Every western venue Mehta debuted at he was not only the first conductor or solo singer or instrumentalist from the Indian subcontinent but also the first Asian other than Turkish to do so. The Turkish operatic soprano Leyla Gencer was the first from her country to have a global career starting with her 1953 debut in Naples.

One need only glance at partial lists of where he was a guest and principal conductor to understand the uniqueness of his achievements. Among Mehta's guest venues were the Metropolitan Opera; Vienna State Opera and Philharmonic; London Symphony; and La Scala, Milan. He was principal conductor of the Montreal Symphony (1961-67); all concurrently with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962-1978); and the New York Philharmonic (1978-1991). In 1969, he was appointed Music Adviser to the Israel Philharmonic; in 1981 he became its Music Director for Life. As of 2022 Mehta has not officially announced retirement.