Operagoers hear a new, thrilling voice in S.J.
SOPRANO KHORI DASTOOR LIVES UP TO ADVANCE BILLING
By Richard Scheinin
Mercury News

“Making her debut with Opera San Jose last Sunday afternoon, Khori Dastoor dominated the stage in the coloratura title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, blazing through her shrewdly conceived mad scene with theatrical abandon and scnenry-chewing panache. If Dastoor joined the company to gain stage experience – the stated mission of OSJ – then her collegues can expect to learn even more from her.”
- Scott MacClelland, San Francisco Classical Voice

“Everyone in the cast sang well; Dastoor superlatively. I stopped breathing when she launched her cadenzas, afraid to miss a nanosecond of her liquid silver sound.”
- Aisle Say Boston

Fast-rising soprano Khori Dastoor has delighted audiences in venues throughout the country and abroad. During the 2007-08 season, Ms. Dastoor will be in residence with Opera San José where she has made her company debut in the title rôle of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Khori is currently concluding doctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is the recipient of the Dean’s Award for the School of Arts and Architecture.

A native of Pasadena, Ms. Dastoor returned to Southern California after graduating with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music. She made her professional debut with Boston’s Publick Theatre as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and made her international concert debut performing as the featured soloist with the Presidential Philharmonic Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey. Khori has performed leading rôles for the community programs division of the Los Angeles Opera for four seasons, and recently performed the rôle of “Sophie de Palma” in the critically acclaimed revival of Terrence McNally’s Master Class at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. Other favorite rôles include the title rôle in Lakmé, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, and Maria in West Side Story.

A champion of new music, Ms. Dastoor created the rôle of La Novia in the world premiere of Lorca: Child of the Moon at the Freud Playhouse and also recently originated the title rôle in the world premiere of The Tree at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. She also appeared as Mary in the world premiere of Paul Chihara’s Magnificat with the Angeles Chorale and Debut Orchestra in June 2007 in Royce Hall.

She recently performed as Gretel in a production of Humperdinck’s masterpiece Hansel und Gretel with the California Philharmonic and has appeared in recital with the Rio Hondo Symphony, the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra Chamber Series, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. Additional recent engagements include a performance of Handel’s Messiah with the Angeles Chorale and the American Youth Symphony, the rôle of Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring at the Aspen Music Festival under the baton of Maestro Robert Spano of the Atlanta Symphony, as well as an appearance on KMOZART”S “Sundays Live” Chamber Series broadcast from Bing Theatre at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Khori joined Lake George Opera in New York this past summer as an apprentice artist where she performed the rôle of Gabrielle in Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne.

Khori was this season’s third place winner at the Western Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has won the Carol Burnett Award, the Pasadena Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Glendale Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, the Pasadena Fine Arts Club competition, and is a recipient of merit awards from Aspen Opera Theatre, the Opera Buffs of Los Angeles, the Royal Academy of Music in London, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Young Musicians Foundation, the Palm Springs Opera Guild, the Elaine Krown Klein Scholars Foundation, and the Gluck Foundation.
©2007 Khori Dastoor