The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by the eminent Jewish-Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman. Its inaugural concert in 1936 was conducted by the legendary Arturo Toscanini. Over the years, the IPO has evolved from an ensemble of first-chair musicians from Eastern-European and German orchestras, who had lost their jobs as a result of World War II, to a 110 member orchestra that continues to absorb new immigrants and serve as a gathering point for musicians from all over the world. Critics have praised it as “the orchestra of soloists”.
The IPO has always been Israel’s foremost cultural ambassador, and travels extensively throughout the world, carrying the joy of music and message of peace from Israel to thousands of music lovers. The orchestra’s tours have included historic visits to Japan, Argentina, Poland, Hungary, Russia, China, and India is of enormous value to the State of Israel.
The IPO has also worked with the world''s greatest conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Rubinstein, Issac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman. In 1961, Maestro Zubin Mehta came to Israel to conduct his first concert with the IPO. That was the beginning of an unequalled and harmonious relationship between Mehta and IPO. Under the esteemed leadership of Mehta, today’s IPO is considered to be one of the top ten orchestras in the world.
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta was born in India in 1936 to a musical family. At the age of eighteen, he attended the Academy of Music in Vienna; and by 1961 he had become the youngest person to conduct the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras. He has ever since been one of the most sought after orchestral and operatic conductors.
Mehta has won countless awards and distinctions in many countries include the "Nikisch-Ring" bequeathed to him by Karl Böhm. He is an honorary citizen of both Florence and Tel Aviv, and the title of “Honorary Conductor” was bestowed to him by many top orchestras such as Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (2001), Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (2004) and Los Angeles Philharmonic (2006).
Mehta’s other accomplishments include conducting the Vienna New Year''s Concert for 4 times, staging a production of the opera Turandot by Puccini in collaboration with Chinese film director Zhang Yimou in the Forbidden City, Beijing, and working as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic commencing a tenure lasting 13 years, the longest in the orchestra''s history; as the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for 16 years; and as chief conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino for 27 years. Since his first concert with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1961, Mehta’s loyalty to IPO has been unflagging. Being the IPO''s Musical Director, appointed for life in 1981, he has conducted thousands of performances on five continents with the IPO. He has become a part of Israel''s national heritage.