Khori Dastoor


Khori Dastoor is an American operatic soprano and actress, now serving as General Director of Opera San Jose. A native of Pasadena, California, she was a resident artist with Opera San José from 2007-2010. Her voice was recognized for its formidable, silvery upper register and graceful, crisp sound.
After enjoying a vibrant operatic career as a lyric soprano on stages throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, Dastoor returned home in 2012 to pursue a life in artistic administration. She joined the artistic staff of Opera San José in 2013 as Artistic Advisor to the General Director under Irene Dalis, later becoming the Director of Artistic Planning where she was responsible for artist recruitment, negotiations, artistic budget management, interdepartmental communication, audition strategy, industry interface, liaison to creative teams, city contacts, artist managers and senior staff. In 2019, the Board of Directors appointed her General Director, succeeding the retiring Larry Hancock. She officially took the helm in January 2020, announcing a robust season. In response to the pandemic, she immediately created an Artists Emergency Fund, and then established a digital media lab for streaming of operatic works.
Dastoor has also served as the Associate Director of the Packard Humanities Institute responsible for initiatives encompassing arts, music, and archaeology. In this capacity she worked closely with PHI's President and various grantee organizations on a wide range of collaborative projects involving performance, historical conservation, and digital musicology.
Dastoor also acted as Director of the San Francisco District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, overseeing all aspects of SF MONC, including fundraising, strategic planning, administration, marketing, team staffing, volunteer recruitment and oversight, judge selection, community engagement, corporate sponsorships and institutional partnerships.

Education

Dastoor graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, and as of 2010 was concluding her doctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was the recipient of the Dean's Award for the School of Arts and Architecture.

Career

Khori Dastoor performed in such venues as Los Angeles Opera, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Opera San Jose, the Colburn School, Aspen Music Festival, Royce Hall, Lake George Opera, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Songfest 2004 at Pepperdine University.
She also appeared internationally with orchestras such as the American Youth Symphony, the California Philharmonic, and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey.
The operatic repertoire which she performed included such roles as Gilda, Pamina, Sophie, Adina, Despina, Susanna, Micaela, Clorinda, Manon, Miss Wordsworth, Gabrielle, Mabel, Lauretta, and Lakmé, Gretel, Oscar, Lucia and Cunegonde.
Her contemporary repertoire included such premier roles as La Novia in Lorca, Child of the Moon and Mary in the world premiere of Paul Chihara's Magnificat.