From Hometown Girl to Opera Heroine:
Meet Khori Dastoor

Fast-rising soprano Khori Dastoor is thrilled to return to her hometown of Pasadena for a second performance with Cal Phil. (We hope you caught her appearance as Gretel in last season's presentation of Hansel and Gretel at the Ambassador Auditorium.) Currently, Khori is a principal artist in residence with Opera San José, where her recent debut in the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor received rave reviews. Opera News hailed her performance as a "moving, increasingly distraught portrayal that…was the stuff of art" while the San José Mercury News applauded Khori for "one of the most exciting performances seen, on any stage, in the past several years."

Opera audiences far beyond San Jose, however, have witnessed the young singer’s artistry. She recently appeared in the Aspen Music Festival’s production of Britten’s Albert Herring, with Lake George Opera in Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne and in the critically acclaimed revival of Terrence McNally's Master Class at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. Additional favorite roles include the title role in Lakmé, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Maria in West Side Story. Khori also performs regularly with the community programs division of the Los Angeles Opera.

As deeply committed to new music as she is to works by renowned opera composers of the past, Khori created the role of La Novia in the world premiere of Lorca: Child of the Moon at the Freud Playhouse and the title role 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 this past year.

Upcoming engagements include a performance as the soprano soloist in the Brahms' Requiem with the Angeles Chorale, the roles of Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte), Adina (L'elisir d'Amore), and Micaela (Carmen) with Opera San José, and a return to the Lake George Opera Festival as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi and Buoso's Ghost).

An honor graduate from the New England Conservatory of Music, Khori is now completing her 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.