Entrepreneur extraordinaire Dr. Shanté Williams, is a notable businesswoman, intellectual property strategist, specialist in neuro-oncology and pharmacology, and the first woman and person of color to lead Opera Carolina in the role of General Director.

Dr. Williams talked with OperaWire about her unique journey to the opera world, her leadership style, and plans for the company.

OperaWire: You hold degrees chemistry, business, and a doctorate in integrated biomedical science, but surprisingly, none in music; how did you get into the world of opera and arts administration?

Dr. Shanté Williams: This journey into the opera world actually started when I was at Ohio State studying brain tumors. Going through that program you read the equivalent of about a textbook every other day and that requires a lot of concentration. Because of the way my brain works, I cannot sit in silence, so I was thinking ‘how do I find a calm space but not a quiet space,’ and of course I turned on classical music. That worked, but it’s so soothing for me I couldn’t study with it. I was talking to my advisor and mentor, who was Italian, about this and he pulled out the book of CDs and the first person I arrived on was Édith Piaf, and he (my mentor) was like ‘keep going.’ So when I got to the operas, I just fell in love it. It was beautiful, not just background music but it was just something that was a deep connection for me and felt very emotional. I remember having a follow up conversation and saying ‘I don’t know what they’re saying so why am I experiencing  this level of emotion?’ He said, ‘it means your brain is turned.’ After that, I started watching operas on PBS and going to Opera Columbus.

OW: Are these industries connected?

DSW: I think there are three things that are always consistent across any industry, ‘good leadership,’ ‘building relationships and trust,’ and ‘interest in the subject matter.’ In opera you rely on a team to help you navigate through the production. There are so many teams, from the front of the stage with vocalists and performers, to the conductor and orchestra, to the backstage, and the business side and it all has to come together. I think opera might be the highest level integration – no one person can do it alone. In opera all the pieces are absolutely required in order to reinforce something beautiful and you need a good leader in order to do that. For me it’s been understanding all of the parts of the puzzle and making sure that I’m able to continue building well functioning teams in order to come together to make something awesome.

I found that making it through a medical clinical teaches you how to learn and process through things. This really served me when I left the ‘hard science world’ and went into banking. It taught me how to approach and ask questions even if you have no idea about the subject.

OW: If there were no limits, how would you combine these fields?

DSW: If there were absolutely no constraint I would create a foundation that really enables people to live out their purpose. Being an artist and putting your ideas out there is tiring and it can be really discouraging, so in a perfect world I have a foundation with a fund that would partner and invest in the careers of artists. I would love to pull in my medical and finance backgrounds to make sure that people are happy and healthy, and know I’m here to support this community. I think a lot of people too often fall into these tropes thats the arts are fun, not for careers. But it is a career, it’s a lifestyle, and it takes so much to get to the top of that field and we should be supporting it better.

OW: Your bio states, that you are both the first woman and person of color to lead Opera Carolina. What does this mean to you?

DSW: It’s humbling. I never take for granted the fact that many very talented women and people of color have come before me in this space and had the qualifications and the talent but they didn’t have the opportunity. There’s a tremendous amount of significance in saying ‘a glass ceiling has shattered,’ I don’t think it was an intentional glass ceiling, it just hadn’t happened before. I look at this position as an opportunity to make sure that I’m not the last woman and not the last person color.

OW: How can you implement that?

DSW: By working with excellence and making sure the bus doesn’t stop with me just to fill a checkbox. I am here to open up the door. Sometimes just by being in the physical environment as the first woman or person of color shows the possibility. So then there’s a career path and an example for other people

OW: What advice do you have for women and/or women of color within your field(s)?

DSW: People say, ‘you have to see the example in order to be able to do something,’ but then what if there is no example? So, my internal dialogue as a woman is ‘get out of your own way.’ I find a lot of women tend to want things completely spelled out. You have to tell yourself, ‘I know I have what it takes and if you don’t know it today, I can learn or somebody can teach me, or I have a team that I can rely on. I think women are sometimes hardwired to default to the negative. When women say to me, ‘what if I fail?’ I always encourage them to think ‘what would happen if you succeed?’ Get rid of the negative stuff, there’s going to be enough people giving you that. What you say to yourself is way more important.

OW: Talk to me about succeeding Maestro James Meena in the role of general director, and now working with him as he mans the role of artistic director.

DSW: It’s gone smoothly. We respect one another’s expertise and realize both are needed, which has helped a lot. He’s done this for 23 years, so I’m getting to learn from his wealth of knowledge. Frankly, not just anybody can do this job, it takes dedication, passion, and love for the arts and for people. I think it helps that we had the previous touch points of me being a board member and being the sponsor of “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson.” He knew this wasn’t just a passing fancy.

OW: What are your hopes for Opera Carolina?

DSW: First things first, is to continue to elevate on the artistic side and concentrating on broadening our community and repertoire. One of my biggest hopes is that we fully embrace this concept of doing new works. I want to establish a fund for new works so we can become an incubator for people workshopping things or enable people to take risks that they may not have otherwise taken.