Born in Colorado, USA, Lea Shaw is a Scottish based Mezzo Soprano. Lea Shaw held a long tenure at Scottish Opera as an Emerging, then Associate Artist, and finally as Education Artist in Residence. Her roles at Scottish Opera have included Flora La traviata, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Mercédès Carmen, Hänsel Hänsel & Gretel, Hermia A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Kormorna The Makropulos Affair. She made her company debut with English National Opera in 2024 as The Monitoress Suor Angelica.

In the 2025/26 season she made her role debut as Concepción L'heure espagnole at the Lammermuir Festival with Scottish Opera, performed the role of The Sorceress Dido & Aeneas with Bjarte Eike and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, made her company debut with Welsh National Opera as Blodwen Blaze of Glory! and premiered new work by Romarna Campbell with Birmingham Opera Company in Re-Wire.  A powerful storyteller and imaginative recitalist, Lea has performed at the En Blanc et Noir festival, the London Song Festival, St Andrews University, Newcastle University, and The Northern Aldborough Festival among others. In 2026, she gave the world premiere of three new works, part of her new commissions series "And When the Light Returned, I, Transfigured, Awoke" at The University of Glasgow. 

She has collaborated with artists such as Marin Alsop, Martyn Brabbins, John Butt, Sir Andrew Davies, Sir Thomas Allen, and Dame Janet Baker, and has created works in close collaboration with Stuart Macrae, Missy Mazzoli, and James Macmillan. Lea graduated from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Alexander Gibson Opera School, where she was awarded the Silver Medal by the Musician's Company. She was the recipient of the First and Audience prizes at the 2023 Northern Aldborough Festival New Voices Competition. Lea is a Samling Artist, and is the founder of The Small Magician, a fully accessible, inclusive, trauma-aware vocal education resource.