Zubin Mehta
(c) Stephan Polzer
Zubin Mehta and his wife Nancy have donated one million dollars in Tesla shares to the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Italian media report. The gift is meant for the new auditorium named after the Indian conductor, principal conductor of the Maggio since 1985 and honorary director for life since 2006.
Mehta said: « My wife was so moved when she learned of the dedication that she decided to make part of our Tesla stock available to the theater. She had already thought she could support the Maggio but this gesture pushed her to put her project into action. I’ve been here since 1961 as guest conductor and since 1985 as music director and now emeritus, and I never expected the room to be dedicated to me; I didn’t expect anything and I am also very grateful for this gift. My wife and I hope that our donation will be useful and we both hope that it will be a source of inspiration for others, both Italian and foreign, to donate for the Maggio; we do it for Florence, for the Maggio and we are happy to do it; in America we have never done anything like this. »
