Rising in the East

When Zubin Mehta made his recent debut with the Symphony Orchestra of India, it marked a coming of age for an ensemble still in its teens. Owen Mortimer reports on its upcoming UK tour and ground-breaking training for young musicians

- Owen Mortimer

India seems to be everywhere in the news these days. Whether it's chairing the G20, putting spacecraft on the moon or climbing the World Economic League Table, the subcontinent is fast on its way to becoming a global superpower. This newfound confidence is also being reflected in the world of arts and culture: the latest Cultural Infrastructure Index points to a tripling of India's investment in venues, museums and galleries since the pandemic. In March this year, Mumbai welcomed a new arts centre with a 2,000-seat theatre that has already played host to a Broadway tour of The Sound of Music.

History was made again in August when Bombay-born conductor Zubin Mehta returned to his hometown to conduct two concerts by the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI). Local media outlets and audiences went wild over these landmark events, widely seen as a coming of age for the orchestra founded just 17 years ago. Both concerts took place at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), the orchestra's palm-fringed home at the heart of Mumbai's downtown financial district overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Mehta waxed lyrical about the experience: 'Having conducted orchestras around the world with centuries-old legacies, I did not imagine I would be able to conduct an Indian orchestra. But the SOI compares with any world-class ensemble and is turning out to be India's global ambassador with its tours of the UK, Switzerland, Russia, Oman and Abu Dhabi, which have all been well received.'