Soprano Khori Dastoor is emerging as one of the country’s most compelling singing actresses who is gaining critical acclaim for her subtle expressivity, formidable upper register, and her graceful, crisp sound.
The 2011/12 season will see Ms. Dastoor bring her highly acclaimed Lucia to Switzerland, where she will make her house debut at Luzerner Theater. She will also sing Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In the 2010/11 season she performed the role of Kitty in the West Coast premiere of David Carlson’s Anna Karenina at Opera San José awhere she has been a Principal Artist in Residence since 2007, Ms. Dastoor has sung numerous principal roles there including Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Sophie in Werther, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Despina in Così fan tutte, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Micaëla in Carmen, Clorinda in La Cenerentola, and the title role in Massenet’s Manon.
In recent seasons Khori Dastoor has appeared at the Aspen Music Festival under the baton of Maestro Robert Spano as Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring and with Lake George Opera as Gabrielle in Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost. In 2008, Ms. Dastoor made her debut with the prestigious Midsummer Mozart Festival singing Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. In 2007, she appeared as Sophie de Palma in the critically acclaimed revival of Terrence McNally’s Master Class, which toured the West Coast.
Equally at home in contemporary repertoire, Ms. Dastoor originated the role of La Novia in the world premiere of Ian Krouse’s Lorca: Child of the Moon at the Freud Playhouse, and recently debuted the title role in the world premiere of The Tree by Linda Dowdell at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. She sang Mary in the world premiere of Paul Chihara’s Magnificat with the Angeles Chorale and Debut Orchestra. Khori Dastoor has appeared in concert internationally with many renowned orchestras such as the American Youth Symphony, the California Philharmonic, and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey.
Khori Dastoor graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music and is currently concluding doctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for the School of Arts and Architecture.
“Chacun le sait” from Donizetti’s La fille du régiment (2011)
“S’altro che lagrime” from Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito (2011)
Bellini |
Mozart |
Bach - Magnificat, Mass in B Minor, |
Mozart - Requiem, Mass in C Minor |
“Dastoor, who plays Susanna with spunky, comic intelligence, could be in the movies; every snap of the finger or quizzically raised eyebrow carries a boatload of implications.
Richard Scheinin, MERCURY NEWS, February 2010
“Saturday, it was Dastoor who carried the show… Mirroring the deepening of Manon’s character, the soprano’s voice took on new layers, sparkled with new colors… Her pianissimi were beautifully controlled — and riveting. Dastoor held the stage with a murmur. Her acting was as confident and expressive as her singing.”
Michael J. Vaughn, SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE, September 2009
“The true operatic star is Khori Dastoor. Her acting and singing are superb. A saucy tart with a voice to adore, she stands out without rivals.
Stephen Leonard, THE STAR-POST, July 2008
“The second act opens on Blonde, who uses coloratura and three high F’s to admonish Osmin... Soprano Khori Dastoor hit the character, and the notes, dead on. Blonde’s second aria, “Welche Wonne, welche Lust”, which is as unrelenting and demanding as her first, was bright, funny, and well-paced. Her energetic portrayal of the feisty maid called to mind Betty Hutton in the 1950 film, Annie Get Your Gun.”
Kathryn Miller, SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE, August 2008
“Best of show was Khori Dastoor’s Pamina, not only sympathetic but also, in her "Ach, ich fühl’s," subtly expressive and beautifully phrased.”
Scott MacClelland, METRO SILICON VALLEY, April 2008
“Dastoor, a picture-book princess, was especially effective in Act II. Her arias about love - its absence, its blossoming - were sung with a knowing sense of Mozartean line and restraint. Best of all, her high notes floated about, wind-tossed like bubbles.
Richard Scheinin, MERCURY NEWS, April 2008
“As Gilda, soprano Khori Dastoor sang with bright fervor, and gave the character a winning air of naivete to set up her final act of self-sacrifice. The Act 1 showpiece "Caro nome" sounded graceful and crisp, but even better was the confessional aria "Tutte le feste," full of the shadowy colors of remorse.”
Joshua Kosman, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, February 2008
