(Credit: Sarah Hickson)

American mezzo-soprano Lea Shaw won the Grand Prix ‘s-Hertogenbosch at the 59th International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch (IVC) in Opera and Oratorio, taking home four prizes in total.

The Glasgow-based singer received the top prize of €15,000 from ‘s-Hertogenbosch Mayor Mikkers following the Grand Finale concert on Oct. 10. She also won the Van Amelsvoort Prize (€2,500), the ANED Fund Audience Prize (€1,500), and the Press Jury Prize (€1,500). Shaw has performed with Scottish Opera and English National Opera, and she has won awards at the Aldeburgh Festival New Voices Competition. As part of her engagement prizes, she will perform a Lunch Concert in the Kleine Zaal of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on Oct. 14.

British tenor Jack Lee took second prize and the Toonkunstprijs (€7,500), and he also won the Bierens Foundation of the Arts Operetta Prize (€3,500).

Swiss bass-baritone Evan Gray received third prize and the Staetshuys Fund prijs (€4,000).

Ukrainian soprano Viktoriia Shamanska won both the Young Talent Prize and the Marianne Blok Prize (€3,500 each).

Ukrainian soprano Maria Knihnytska received the Friends of the IVC Prize (€1,500), and Chinese baritone Chao Liu took the Junior Jury Prize (€1,000).

Dutch soprano Irene Hoogveld received the Händel Choir Award 2026, and Dutch tenor Milan de Korte received the Andrew Wise Talent Award 2026.

The Main Rounds ran from Oct. 2 to 5 and featured 36 young singers, from whom eight finalists were chosen. In addition to Shaw, Lee, Gray, Hadzetskyy, and Shamanska, the finalists included tenor Aaron Casey Gould (USA), baritone Yuriy Hadzetskyy (Ukraine), baritone Chao Liu (China), and baritone Thomas McGowan (UK). Karen Kamensek conducted Philzuid in the Grand Finale concert.

The jury was chaired by director Sir David Pountney and included soprano Susan Bullock, tenor Paul McNamara, bass Peter Rose, Natascha Ursuliak of Opernhaus Zürich, Susanne Schmidt of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Dieter Kaegi of Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, Tobias Hasan of Staatsoper Unter den Linden, and Damià Carbonell Nicolau of De Nationale Opera.

A recording of the Grand Finale will air on NPO Klassiek as part of the NTR program “Opera Live” on Oct. 24 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. local time.