Houston Grand Opera Board Chairman Allyn Risley announced today that Managing Director Perryn Leech is leaving the organization effective December 31, 2020. He will continue to serve as a consultant during the leadership transition. Leech has been with HGO for nearly 14 years and has been managing director for 9 years.
Under Leech’s leadership, HGO has been successful in terms of the fiscal and organizational health of the company, allowing artistic programming to flourish, and other company initiatives such as HGOco and the HGO Studio to grow. He has supported HGO through significant challenges including Hurricane Harvey, when the entire season was performed in the “Resilience Theater” in the George R. Brown Convention Center, and more recently the transition to an all-digital season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Leech’s departure the HGO Board of Directors is changing the company’s leadership structure. Currently, leadership responsibilities are divided between Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director, and Perryn Leech, Managing Director, with both reporting to the Board of Directors. A search committee will be organized to pursue the recruitment of a General Director, a single leader of the Company. Patrick Summers will remain with HGO as Artistic and Music Director, ultimately reporting to the General Director.
“Houston Grand Opera is an extraordinary and special company and it has been a huge privilege to co-lead it through some amazing, and some challenging times,” says HGO Managing Director Perryn Leech. “I am incredibly proud of my colleagues for their outstanding work. I wish the company a bright future and I will continue to be amongst HGO’s biggest fans.”
“We are indebted to Perryn for his strong leadership, his positive determination and his sense of humor over the past 9 years,” says HGO Board Chair Allyn Risley. “Although he is stepping down at the end of the year, I am delighted that he will be available to help through the company’s transition into new leadership. Many of us will miss him greatly as he heads onto his next opportunity.”
Under Leech’s leadership, HGO has been successful in terms of the fiscal and organizational health of the company, allowing artistic programming to flourish, and other company initiatives such as HGOco and the HGO Studio to grow. He has supported HGO through significant challenges including Hurricane Harvey, when the entire season was performed in the “Resilience Theater” in the George R. Brown Convention Center, and more recently the transition to an all-digital season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Leech’s departure the HGO Board of Directors is changing the company’s leadership structure. Currently, leadership responsibilities are divided between Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director, and Perryn Leech, Managing Director, with both reporting to the Board of Directors. A search committee will be organized to pursue the recruitment of a General Director, a single leader of the Company. Patrick Summers will remain with HGO as Artistic and Music Director, ultimately reporting to the General Director.
“Houston Grand Opera is an extraordinary and special company and it has been a huge privilege to co-lead it through some amazing, and some challenging times,” says HGO Managing Director Perryn Leech. “I am incredibly proud of my colleagues for their outstanding work. I wish the company a bright future and I will continue to be amongst HGO’s biggest fans.”
“We are indebted to Perryn for his strong leadership, his positive determination and his sense of humor over the past 9 years,” says HGO Board Chair Allyn Risley. “Although he is stepping down at the end of the year, I am delighted that he will be available to help through the company’s transition into new leadership. Many of us will miss him greatly as he heads onto his next opportunity.”
HGO Board will reorganize the executive leadership structure and recruit a General Director