Interesting news just in from the world of classical music, Green Monsters. World-renowned maestro Lorin Maazel, who has conducted nearly two hundred orchestras over the course of his career, has just decided to make the transition toward a plant-based diet!

In a December 26 blog update titled “Once a Proud Father (Part Five),” Maazel describes how his vegan son, Orson, inspired him to make this change. He talks about how he had once been vegetarian for seven years, and when challenged by Orson on why he went back to eating meat, said: “The alleged need for animal protein to get me through long rehearsal and concert days. It was hard … could smell the blood for months on animal meat.”

However, with his son’s strong words in mind, Maazel has resolved to make a new year’s resolution: go vegetarian – for good, this time – and ultimately transition toward veganism.

He states, “Each person who kicks a drug addiction habit unquestionably saves a life in the Drug War. Each person who becomes a vegetarian spares hundreds of animals every year from the axe.”

In a January 1 blog update, titled “The Law of Supply and Demand,” he goes on to express the hope that “a few of the up to 250,000 readers my blog has at times attracted will follow suit. If only a hundred people were to pick up on my challenge, some 6,000 kilos of meat and 1,000 kilos of fish less per year would be consumed. Supply and demand … fewer consumers will make it less profitable to abuse and exploit animals.”

Speaking about Maazel’s dietary change, Ari Solomon of Mercy for Animals says, “At just 83 years young, Maazel is a great inspiration as a new advocate for farmed animals – and proof that it is never too late to make a positive change and truly make a difference!”

If you, or someone you know, has also been contemplating a transition toward a plant-based diet, why not check out these “meaty” vegan recipes to get you started? Also make sure you check out Green Monster Rhea Parson’s insightful piece on the challenges and rewards of a plant-based lifestyle.