Born in Kazan, Russia. After studying under Nailya Khakimova and Elfiya Burnasheva in Kazan, she continued her studies with Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music in London and with Boris Petrushansky at the Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" (Imola, Italy). She has won numerous first prizes and awards at competitions around the world( William Kapell, Maj Lind, Isang Yun,winner of Busoni) and in 2006 she became a finalist in the 1st Takamatsu International Piano Competition. In September 2009, she became the first woman to win the first prize and the Princess Mary Gold Medal at the 16th Leeds International Piano Competition. Since then, she has given recitals throughout the world, often receiving rave reviews from top critics. As a soloist, she has performed with major orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, etc., and under such distinguished conductors as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sakari Oramo, and Mark Elder, etc. Her CD recordings of Russian piano music, Brahms and Chaconnes have received high praise from major music magazines. She is presently a professor of the piano at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She has also been a jury member of a number of international competitions worldwide and has given numerous master classes.