Shelagh Heath was born in Edinburgh in Scotland and began cello lessons at the age of seven with Mary Robertson. She entered the Junior Department at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and then moved to London where she received her Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Academy of Music. Her teachers include Alexander Baillie, Douglas Cummings, Jennifer Ward Clarke (Baroque and modern cello), Beth Macdonald and Patricia Hair. While studying in London she was highly commended at the May Mukle Concerto Prize, won prizes in the Croft Early Music Competition and performed for two years as principal cellist of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. From 1992 to 1995 Shelagh was principal cellist of Camerata Scotland. She joined the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1995. In 2002 she spent a year freelancing in the UK and then returned to Hong Kong to perform for two seasons with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Shelagh Heath has been performing with City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong since 2001 and became a member in 2005. She appears in various venues in Hong Kong as a chamber musician and teaches cello privately.