Houston Symphony Loses Its Leader to Chicago’s Lyric Opera — The Legacy of John Mangum and a Successor Search

When the curtain opens on Houston’s performing arts scene in the fall, the city will be missing one of its most visionary leaders. John Mangum, Houston Symphony executive director, CEO and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, has accepted the position of general director, president and CEO for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Magnum will continue to lead the Houston Symphony through the month of September, with his tenure officially ending before the Opening Night gala on October 4.

Joining the Symphony in 2018, Mangum has led the organization through some of Houston’s most difficult times including Hurricane Harvey severely damaging Jones Hall and the economic disaster of COVID-19.

Through it all, he managed to double the orchestras’s endowment by 50 percent. Today it totals more than $100 million, a record, and earned revenue has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, trending up more than 10 percent year over year for the upcoming season.

“My tenure at the Houston Symphony has been the most professionally and personally fulfilling of my career so far,” Mangum says in a statement. “I am proud of the work we’ve done together these last six and a half years to get to this place.

“We have incredibly strong board leadership, our staff is one of the best teams in the business, and our musicians are incredible artists, sounding better than ever, dedicated to their craft and to this orchestra. I will always look back with fondness and gratitude on my time in Houston.”

Under Mangum’s leadership, the Houston Symphony persevered through months of physical and financial rebuilding following Harvey, as well as through the global pandemic. Houston Symphony became a leader in the industry by live-streaming concerts beginning in May of 2020 and safely introducing small live audiences back into Jones Hall for the 2020-21 season.

“John’s contributions during his tenure have been numerous and invaluable and include welcoming maestro Juraj Valcuha to the podium and leading the first major renovation of Jones Hall since its opening,” Houston Symphony board president Barbara Burger says in a statement. “John has been instrumental in strengthening of the Houston Symphony toward its vision as a world class orchestra and Houston cultural leader, creating extraordinary musical experiences for all.”

Burger and board chair Janet Clark will lead the search for Mangum’s successor.