Mansouri, Lofti (1929– )

Iranian-born US administrator and stage director. He studied with Herbert Graf and Lotte Lehmann, making his debut as producer with Tosca at Los Angeles in 1959. He was staff director at Zurich 1960–65; staff director at Geneva 1965–75 (working notably on productions of Der Rosenkavalier and Die Entführung aus dem Serail); general director of the Canadian Opera Company 1976–88 (presiding over stagings of Wozzeck, Otello, and Tristan und Isolde); and general director of the San Francisco Opera from 1988 (where he produced Tannhäuser in 1994). His production of Massenet's Esclarmonde (for Joan Sutherland) was seen at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in 1976, and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1983.