Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a world-renowned American soprano described as "one of the most consequential performers of our time" by the Los Angeles Times. The recipient of several Grammy Awards and Edison Prize-winning discs, Upshaw is at home both in opera and art song, and in repertoire from Baroque to contemporary. Many composers, including John Harbison, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Saariaho, have written for her, and her artistic achievements are extensive. On September 25, 2007 she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant."

She began her vocal career as a talented Rich East High School singer in Park Forest, Illinois. Upshaw received a B.A. in 1982 from Illinois Wesleyan University and went on to study voice with Ellen Faull at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, earning her M.A. in 1984. She also attended courses given by Jan DeGaetani at the Aspen (Colorado) Music School. She was a winner of the Young Concert Artists auditions (1984) and the Walter M. Naumburg Competition (1985), and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Young Artists Development Program. Since her start in 1984, Upshaw has made over 300 appearances at the Metropolitan Opera.