Zubin Mehta, Pinchas Zukerman and the Belgrade Philharmonic held a performance to remember at the National Center for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, on January 15, 2026. The first of two scheduled concerts in Mumbai, under the baton of today’s greatest conductor, began the celebration of his 90th birthday, which will mark the world of classical music during 2026. The concert was preceded by the world premiere of Boris Miljković’s documentary about Mehta and the Belgrade Philharmonic, and the evening ended with a formal reception in the historic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel with numerous surprises for the Maestro.

A standing ovation resounded in the hall of the National Center with the admiration of the large audience for the great maestro, whose career indebted not only one era but entire generations of musicians and listeners. At the beginning of the concert, Mehta thanked the audience for the reception and the Belgrade Philharmonic:

“Thank you for the welcome, I am so happy to be here together with the Belgrade Philharmonic, one of my favorite orchestras. I want to welcome them and sincerely thank them for supporting the young people from the music school within the Mehli Mehta Foundation in the performance of Bartok’s Romanian Dances.”

A brilliant performance by young musicians from India, side by side with experienced players from Serbia, was a touching opening of the concert as a cross-section of Mehta’s mission to unite different cultures in sharing and passing on musical knowledge.

The official part of the program began with a spectacular performance by one of today’s greatest violinists, Pinchas Zukerman, and his friend of many decades, Zubin Mehta. The performance of Mozart’s Concerto in A-major was a reflection of the closeness and musical unity between Zukerman, Mehta and the Belgrade Philharmonic, with which the violinist recently started a strong musical relationship in Belgrade.

With his favorite orchestra, the Maestro triumphantly ended the concert with Beethoven’s Eroica, which was followed by a surprise. Philharmonic players played Mehta’s birthday song, accompanied by a shower of balloons from the ceiling of the hall. The concert part of the evening ended with the gifting of a jasmine mala, which young musicians from India put around the necks of Mehta and the Philharmonic players as a sign of respect, honor and blessing.

For the audience of the National Center, before the concert, a ceremonial premiere of the documentary film “Da Capo” about Mehta and the Belgrade Philharmonic, by Boris Miljković, was held. The audience was introduced to the film by Jelena Milašinović, PR manager and producer of the film, which tells about the very beginning of Mehta’s career related to Belgrade and his deep connection with the Philharmonic. The audience in Mumbai reacted emotionally to the film with deep respect that the international premiere was held in Mehta’s birthplace.

The evening was crowned with a gala dinner at the impressive Taj Mahal Palace, a historical symbol of Mumbai and the epitome of its cosmopolitan soul. In addition to Mehta and his wife Nancy, the guests of honor were violinist Pinchas Zukerman, pianist Lang Lang and the entire orchestra of the Belgrade Philharmonic. After the touching speeches and birthday wishes sent to Mehta by Zukerman and Lang Lang, the Philharmonic musicians delighted Mehta with ajvar and surprised him with the vocal bravura of Ksenija Milošević and a virtuoso performance of Niška Banja in Aleksandar Sedlar’s arrangement as a response to the hospitality in honor of cultural opulence.