Opera Carolina Faces Leadership Changes and Lawsuit from Former Production Director

Opera Carolina and its general director, Shanté Williams, are facing a lawsuit from former production director Michael Baumgarten amid a period of major leadership changes at the nonprofit opera company, reports the Charlotte Observer.

Baumgarten filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County Court alleging that Opera Carolina and Williams failed to uphold his employment contract after he was terminated without cause in November 2024. He is seeking damages in excess of $25,000 and has requested a jury trial.

“This employment agreement is very clear,” Baumgarten’s attorney, Tyler Peacock of Lord & Lindley in Charlotte, told The Charlotte Observer. “They have a contractual obligation and they’re just not going to do it.”

Williams filed a counterclaim accusing Baumgarten of making false and defamatory statements about her leadership. Baumgarten’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaim on March 19, calling it “completely meritless.” Attorneys for Opera Carolina and Williams did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Baumgarten had been with Opera Carolina since 1985 and served as director of production and resident lighting designer since 2005. In 2022, he signed a three-year contract with an annual salary of $70,000. Under the agreement, if terminated without cause, Opera Carolina was required to pay the balance of his salary through June 30, 2025.

Baumgarten’s termination letter cited financial constraints and stated that Opera Carolina would not honor the payment terms of his contract. Opera Carolina, in its legal response, denied any violations of the contract or law.

Williams, who became general director in July 2023, is the first person of color and the second woman to lead Opera Carolina’s business operations. She argued in her legal filings that she had the authority to terminate Baumgarten and that his alleged misconduct justified the decision. Williams' counterclaim seeks compensatory damages, alleging Baumgarten harmed her reputation.

Meanwhile, Opera Carolina announced further leadership changes. James Meena, the opera’s long-time artistic director and principal conductor who joined in 2000, was replaced by Claudio Ferri-Vignati. Meena negotiated a severance agreement with the opera, and his final production will be La Bohème from April 10 to 13, 2025.

Opera Carolina was founded in 1948 by the Charlotte Music Club and serves more than 70,000 people across North Carolina, South Carolina, and northern Georgia. The nonprofit reported total revenue of $2.9 million for the 2023 fiscal year, down from $3.7 million the prior year, while total expenses rose to $3.3 million.