John Mangum to head Lyric Opera of Chicago

CHICAGO — John Mangum was hired Wednesday to succeed Anthony Freud as general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Mangum, 49, had been CEO of the Houston Symphony since April 2018. Freud headed the company for 13 seasons and leaves Friday following a September announcement he planned to retire at age 66.

After working at the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a publication assistant and program designer from 1999-2005, Mangum spent two years there as artistic administrator.

He became vice president for artistic planning of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra from 2007 and artistic administrator of the New York Philharmonic from 2009-11, then was hired as director of artistic planning of the San Francisco Symphony from 2011-14 and president of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County from 2014-18.

Mangum attended UCLA, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1996, a master’s degree in history in 1999 and a Ph.D. in history with a concentration in musicology in 2002.

He becomes just the fifth head of the Lyric Opera. Carol Fox was founding general manager from 1954-80 and was followed by general directors Ardis Krainik (1981-97), William Mason (1997-2011) and Freud.