John Mangum (Photo: Kyle Flubacker)
John Mangum has been named the general director, president, and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. Upon his start in fall 2024, Mangum will be the company’s fifth general director.
The appointee has served as executive director and CEO of the Houston Symphony since 2018; in his time there, he oversaw a $60 million campaign to renovate the orchestra’s concert hall while growing the organization’s endowment grew 50 percent. He previously held leadership positions at the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mangum holds a doctorate from UCLA — his academic focus was on the history of Italian opera.
Mangum succeeds Anthony Freud, who retires after leading Lyric for 13 years.
Lyric’s 2024-2025 season features nine programs — including such works as Verdi’s Rigoletto, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and Puccini’s La bohème. The season also features two contemporary operas — Blue by Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson and The Listeners by Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek. Other season highlights include concerts by Patti LuPone and Sondra Radvanovsky.
