Fort Worth Opera’s first Black female director resigns after two years with company

Afton Battle has announced that she is resigning from the Fort Worth Opera late next month.

She was only two years into her tenure as general and artistic director.

Battle is one of the few Black women to lead an opera company and the second leader to resign from the company in the past three years.

Battle was named general director and artistic director in 2020, succeeding Tuomas Hiltunen. She was the company’s eighth general director.

She guided the company through the pandemic and prioritized what she called making it the “People’s Company,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

“I set out to create an organization by which the community of Fort Worth felt safe, seen, respected and comfortable when engaging with us. My goal was to build The People’s Company,” she said in the letter.

Her goal when she came on board was to increase and diversify an increasingly aging medium’s audience, which, while not surveyed nationally, is above 50 years old. “[We] have built a company that is truly reflective of the community we serve. A company every Fort Worthian can be proud of.”

When she was hired, then-board president Nelson Claytor called her “ideally suited to lead us into Fort Worth Opera’s 75th anniversary and beyond.”

Two years later Hayne Shumate, acting chair of board, thanked Battle for her service to the company.

“We were saddened when Afton shared her intent to leave FWO, but on behalf of the board, staff and community, we wish her the best,” Shumate said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to Afton for her leadership and vision during her time with Fort Worth Opera.

“We remain committed to providing the Fort Worth community with exceptional performing and operatic art experiences that are accessible, inclusive, and equitable across all audiences.”

But what constitutes “accessible, inclusive, and equitable” is where she diverged with the board and led to her resignation, which she announced to the board during the summer, according to a Dallas Morning News report.

She announced her goal as the opera’s leader was “to focus on expanding our reach and engagement into communities that have been historically marginalized,” including the Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ communities.

She made inroads with those communities, she said, by creating productions such as “A Night of Black Excellence,” and performances at venues such as the Hispanic-led Artes de la Rosa.

That’s apparent in the new season.

“Fort Worth Opera is now, more than ever, The People’s Company,” Battle wrote in her letter. “Our 76th season opened on October 21, 2022, with Noches de Zarzuela, followed by El Fuego de Una Mujer. Please join us for the remainder of our season. Upcoming, we are honored to present the world-premiere of Stand Up! and an afternoon of dynamic storytelling with Of Thee I Sing!, a recital presented by Karen Slack and Michelle Cann.”