The Lyric Opera of Chicago named John Mangum, executive director and CEO of the Houston Symphony, its next general director beginning this fall. Mangum succeeds Anthony Freud, who departed Lyric after 13 years leading the company.
Mangum joins Lyric as it faces budget cuts, mounting costs, and shifting audience demographics. He has successfully navigated difficult transitions before, having successfully led the Houston Symphony through the COVID-19 shutdown even as it grew its endowment by 50% and received $60 million in gifts for renovations to its concert hall.
Prior to the Houston Symphony, Mangum held positions at the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Lyric will be his first role at an opera company.
