Anthony Freud, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2011, says he’ll retire in summer 2024.
The upcoming season that begins Sept. 23 will be the U.K. native’s last with Lyric, where he’s also general director,
“Having been a general director for 30 years leading opera companies on both sides of the Atlantic, with the last 13 wonderful years at Lyric, I have made the personal decision to retire in summer 2024,” said Freud in a statement. “Working with Lyric has, for me, been the honor and thrill of a lifetime.”
During his tenure, Lyric staged world premiere commissions including “Bel Canto” and “Proximity,” co-produced the landmark “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and weathered the theater-closing pandemic with innovative outdoor and digital productions.
“During Anthony’s tenure, Lyric has seen tremendous artistic growth and amazing firsts. Thanks to Anthony’s leadership and hard work, Lyric enhanced its national and international leadership in the field and stands out as an indispensable part of the cultural and civic fabric of Chicago,” board chair Sylvia Neil said. “Anthony was Lyric’s first general director to have been appointed from outside the company, and the development of the company under his leadership has been remarkable.”
