In Thursday’s (4/21) Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein reports, “Anthony Freud, general director of Houston Grand Opera, will succeed William Mason as general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago starting in October, a company spokeswoman has confirmed. … The London-born Freud, 53, will begin his five-year contract at the start of the Lyric’s 57th season on Oct. 1. He will serve as general director designate until then. He was chosen after an eight-month international search led by Lyric’s executive vice-president Kenneth G. Pigott. He comes to Chicago with 17 years of experience as an opera general director and is a widely respected figure on the international opera scene. Freud, who was general director of the Welsh National Opera from 1994 to 2005 before taking up his present position in Houston, will be the fourth general director in Lyric’s 57-year history. … ‘I’m both honored and thrilled by this appointment,’ Freud said. ‘One of the things that excites me the most is the opportunity to get to know both the company and the city. … Ultimately an opera company has to identify how it can do the best possible job for its audience and its city, taking its own characteristics into account.’ ”
Posted April 22, 2011
