At its meeting today, the Board of Directors of Houston Grand Opera Association, Inc., extended Anthony Freud's contract as General Director and CEO through July 31, 2015. Freud, formerly the General Director of Welsh National Opera (UK) took the helm at HGO in 2006.

During the last five years, HGO’s seasons have been of outstanding quality, highly innovative and extremely popular.

Freud said, “I want to continue taking the company, the art form and especially the audience on a journey of discovery. We need always to be moving ahead, exploring, breaking new ground, innovating. Needless to say, that carries with it a certain amount of risk. But without risk, there can be no new discoveries, and we fail in our responsibilities to the audience, to the richly diverse city we serve, and to the art itself.”

Freud, who is currently serving a second term as Chairman of the Board of Opera America, is a Barrister and holds a law degree from the University of London King’s College. He was previously General Director of Welsh National Opera (U.K.) for 11 years, and Executive Producer for Philips Classics. He served as Chairman of Opera Europa, and, for a decade, chaired the jury of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. In 2006, he was awarded the honor of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, and honorary fellowships at both the University of Cardiff and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.