Lyric Opera Names New General Director

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Houston Grand Opera general director Anthony Freud, O.B.E., will soon take over Chicago's Lyric Opera.

Freud, a London native who is also a veteran of the Welsh National Opera, will succeed William Mason as Lyric Opera general director starting Oct. 1.

In addition to running the Houston Grand Opera, Freud is also chairman of Opera America, and former Chairman of Opera Europa, a news release points out.

"I am honored to be chosen to lead Lyric Opera of Chicago, which I have so long admired," Freud said in the release. "The company's artistic excellence is known throughout the world, and collaborating with Sir Andrew Davis, Renée Fleming, and the rest of the Lyric team is an extraordinary opportunity."

The Lyric Opera ended its season in the black last year for the 22nd time in the last 23 years, a rarity among major opera companies. Still, the company had to trim its number of performances for this season to 68, a cut of just over 10 percent, in the interest of maintaining its budget.