Shawna Avinger grew up in her father’s percussive music store, John’s Music, and no one is quite sure how she became a classical singer and not a drummer. Shawna received her Bachelor's of Music from the University of Washington in vocal performance and her Master's degree in Opera Performance from the Maryland Opera Studio. She has been working with vocal students since 2000 and is currently voice faculty at Music Center of the N.W. Her teachers have included Carmen Pelton, Linda Mabbs, Elizabeth Moore, and Charlie Riecker.

With the Fisher Ensemble, Shawna was featured on the recording of Psyche and in the New York and Boston premiere performances of At The Hawk’s Well.

A frequent soloist with the Seattle ensemble, The Esoterics, she is featured on 7 of their CDs and recently performed at the national ACDA convention with the group.

Operatic roles include the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos, Countess in Marriage of Figaro, Nedda in I Pagliacci, Antonia in Tales of Hoffmann, Atalanta in Xerxes, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, and Michaela in Carmen. Shawna has premiered roles in ten new operas, including Clara, Reunion, At the Hawk’s Well, A Night at the Opera, and Kocho. Shawna has appeared as a recitalist and soloist in Maryland, Washington D.C., New York and Seattle.

Shawna has appeared in two operatic films as both an actor and vocalist that were shown in many film festivals (Hand of Bridge and Bachianas Brasilieras).