Natalia Lipnitskaya was born in 1980 in Minsk, Belarus. She began to play guitar at the age of 9, studying with Marina Dubovik. In 1995 she entered the Belarus College of Music where she studied for 4 years in the class of Vladimir Belyshev. At present she is a third-year student at the Belarus Academy of Music studying with Eugeny Gridyushko.

Already a veteran of several competitions, Lipnitskaya’s accolades include: 1996 Belarus National Competition (3rd prize); 1999 Belarus National Competition (1st prize); the 2000 Krynica International Competition in Poland (2nd prize); and last year’s Rust International Competition in Austria (1st prize). Her first US tour is sponsored in part by Guitarist of the World series at Cal State Fullerton.

She will also appear at Cal State Northridge on February 22, 2003.