A native of Iran, director Lotfi Mansouri is the former General Director of San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera and made his San Diego Opera debut in 1973 directing The Daughter of the Regiment. Recent productions here include Nabucco in 2010, Rigoletto in 2009, Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci in 2008, Boris Godunov and Samson and Delilah in 2007, The Barber of Seville in 2006, Die Fledermaus and Simon Boccanegra in 2005 along with Don Carlo, Turandot, Otello and Idomeneo in previous seasons. He attended UCLA and took U.S. citizenship before becoming resident stage director at Opernhaus Zürich in 1976. He has directed at many opera houses throughout Italy including Teatro alla Scala, Milan. In North America, his work has been seen at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and in Chicago, Houston, Santa Fe, Philadelphia, Dallas and many other cities, and he has a lengthy association with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Six of his productions have been videotaped for telecast and commercial sale: Mefistofele, Orlando furioso, Capriccio, Turandot, The Dangerous Liaisons and A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2009, Mansouri was a recipient of a 2009 NEA Opera Honor in the category of General Director.