Khori Dastoor: To have to make the argument for art wears on you. This is one offshoot of the United States no longer issuing visas to any Russian nationals because of the horrors in Ukraine. Louis Symphony Chorus in Mozart’s Requiem.

Summers was making a mad dash to fill in for maestro Dmitry Sinkovsky, who couldn’t find safe passage from Moscow to lead the St. As the California-born soprano-turned-administrator continues to settle into this new leading role, Dastoor has been making the rounds, introducing herself and her philosophies to those close to the organization while listening attentively to what each group feels about the genre of opera today.īut what was supposed to be a series of conversational salons along with artistic and music director Patrick Summers turned on occasion into solo engagements.

With Dastoor filling the post left vacant by Perryn Leech’s departure for the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.īecoming the first woman - and woman of color - to lead the $27 million budget performing arts nonprofit signals a new era for a company recognized for world premiere commissions. Khori Dastoor arrived in Houston in last August to began preparing to officially take over the helm of Houston Grand Opera (HGO) as its general director and CEO, which she did in January. When it comes to performing arts, those publics are many - employees, artists, new and experienced listeners, stakeholders, volunteers and patrons. The first rule of running a business? Know your audiences.

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