
John Mangum in Chicago. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
In Wednesday’s (7/31) Chicago Sun-Times, Kyle MacMillan writes, “John Mangum, a seasoned arts administrator who has headed the Houston Symphony Orchestra since 2018, has been named general director, president and chief executive officer of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the organization announced Wednesday. He is set to begin his duties this fall…. The 49-year-old California native takes over for Anthony Freud, who stepped down in June after 13 years in the position…. Mangum has never previously held a position with an opera company. Most of his experience has come with stints for five orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and currently the Houston Symphony, with opera being part of the offerings … He also served as president and artistic director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County from 2014-2018…. He first became an opera fan as teenager in Danville, Calif. … He wrote his doctoral dissertation in musicology on the role and popularity of Italian opera in Berlin in the second half of the 18th century…. As executive director and CEO at the Houston Symphony, Mangum oversaw a 50-percent growth in its endowment and secured $60 million in capital gifts for the first major renovation of Jones Hall, the orchestra’s home.”