Lyric Opera of Chicago appoints new leader

Leading artistic and performing arts executive John Mangum to serve as next General Director, President & CEO

CHICAGO (7/31/24) — Sylvia Neil, Chair, and the Board of Directors of Lyric Opera of Chicago today announce the appointment of accomplished, versatile arts administrator John Mangum as the institution’s fifth General Director, President & CEO. He will start at Lyric in Fall 2024 at a date to be announced.

A distinguished visionary with significant artistic and executive leadership roles at some of the country’s foremost performing arts organizations
— including the Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its esteemed Hollywood Bowl — and a noted collaborator with many leading artists
and conductors, Mangum is a multifaceted, modern executive with deep expertise in developing innovative approaches to support, contextualize, and expand the relevance of classical music and the performing arts; creating and implementing significant community and educational programming; and inspiring philanthropy.

“On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to welcome John Mangum to Lyric Opera of Chicago. John’s very strong credentials as a CEO, as well as his artistic management background and music intellectualism, will bring vision, insight, and a fresh perspective to Lyric,” says Sylvia Neil, Board Chair. “At a time when so many arts organizations nationwide are exploring new ways to engage and expand their audiences and grow their donor base, John is a proven leader who understands the complexities of the classical performing arts industry and all that is required to showcase artistic pursuits in the contemporary environment while upholding the highest standards. I offer my thanks to the Search Committee, particularly Bryan Traubert, my committee co-chair, who spent months on what was truly a comprehensive and international process.”

“I first fell in love with classical music and opera in high school, and the art form has been a focus of both my personal and professional life ever since,” says Mangum. “Lyric has long produced opera at the highest international level, and I am passionate about connecting this artistry with audiences in the city of Chicago and beyond. My driving pursuit as a cultural leader is to uplift and support talented artists and explore ways to amplify their work and bring it to as many people as possible. I’m incredibly excited to work in partnership with Lyric’s Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and the amazing artists, artisans, and staff at Lyric. I look forward to finding ways to present the positive and profound impact of opera in service to Chicago and all of its communities.”

Since 2018, Mangum has served as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony, a tenure marked by record growth and transformation. Mangum increased the orchestra’s endowment by 50 percent and secured major capital gifts for a $60 million campaign to support the renovation of Jones Hall, the first major renovation of the Symphony’s home since the building opened in 1966. He also steered the comprehensive search for the Symphony’s current Music Director and introduced major programming initiatives around opera and new music, maximizing reach and accessibility. One such educational program, the Student Concerts Series, is a neighborhood-based initiative that brings Houston Symphony musicians directly into the community to interact with students and invites those students to hear the orchestra on stage at Jones Hall throughout the school year. As the largest school program of any major American orchestra, it currently serves 53,000 students in more than 30 Houston-area school districts.

Mangum steered the Symphony through the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the organization effectively established industry precedent on a safe return to in-person performances, and also created cutting-edge digital programming with original content that reached nearly two million people in all 50 U.S. states and 40 countries.

Throughout his career, Mangum has joined forces with several of the most celebrated conductors and music directors. As Director of Artistic Planning at the San Francisco Symphony from 2011-2014, Mangum worked with famed Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas to realize the Symphony’s overall artistic vision. Major initiatives included the Symphony’s Centennial Season in 2011/12; annual thematic festivals; artist and composer residencies; the first-ever concert performances of West Side Story, recorded for commercial release; productions of Britten’s Peter Grimes, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, and John Cage’s Songbooks, the last at Carnegie Hall; and tours in Asia, the United States, and Europe.

He served as Artistic Administrator of the New York Philharmonic from 2009-2011, where he helped to shape the Philharmonic’s artistic profile. Major initiatives included productions of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, both directed and designed by Doug Fitch; Philharmonic 360 at the Park Avenue Armory; and Sondheim: The 80th Birthday Concert and Company, both televised by PBS’s Great Performances.

Mangum held various roles during an eight-year run at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl, from 1999-2007, including Artistic Administrator and Artistic Planning Manager. As Artistic Planning Manager and Artistic Administrator, he worked with leadership and guest artists on the full range of the Philharmonic’s programming, with primary responsibility for the orchestra’s classical programs at the Hollywood Bowl and its highly regarded Green Umbrella new music series.

“John is a 21st-century performing arts leader with unmatched experience and acumen in the classical music space,” says Bryan Traubert, Co-Chair of the Search Committee. “His executive superpower is understanding the needs of an arts organization, its musicians, staff, donors, and community members, and developing comprehensive programs to address each of their needs, maximize efficiencies, and jumpstart strategic change. During our search process, we intentionally looked for a leader who understands the classical music industry holistically, prioritizes the needs of artists, upholds artistic integrity, and finds ways to distill and drive connections between arts organizations and their communities.”

“John’s warmth, intellectual curiosity, and deep artistic knowledge make us incredible partners and a powerful creative team,” says Enrique Mazzola. “We share a passion for making art at the highest levels, exploring new and traditional repertoire with a fresh perspective, in service to all of Chicago’s vibrant communities and beyond. I know that John’s extensive experience and innovative spirit will allow for dynamic collaboration for years to come and imbue every member of our company with a sense of excitement and vigor. I am very eager to get started!”

Prior to his appointment at the Houston Symphony, Mangum served as President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County from 2014-2018, where he provided artistic and executive leadership for a major presenter of touring orchestras, ensembles, and soloists.

Mangum, 49, holds a doctorate in history with a field of musicology, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in history, from the University of California, Los Angeles. His academic work looks at the spread of Italian opera in 18th-century German-speaking Central Europe.

Mangum succeeds Anthony Freud, who is retiring after 13 years as General Director, President & CEO at Lyric.

Photos are available here in Lyric's online press room.

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Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, American Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency

About Lyric

About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists—magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

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For more information on Lyric's upcoming 2024/25 Season, visit lyricopera.org/newseason.