Kateryna Pavlenko, born in Ukraine, began piano lessons at the age of five at the Art School No. 3 in Kharkiv, where she studied from 2010 to 2018. At the age of thirteen, she continued her education at the Kharkiv Specialized Music School for talented children. After graduating at the age of sixteen, she entered the Kharkiv Conservatory, where she was taught by Nina Rudenko. Halfway through her first year, she had to flee Ukraine because of the war. She continued her studies at the Prince Claus Conservatory in Groningen with Nata Tsvereli and started her third year this year. Kateryna won prizes at several Ukrainian competitions, including the Kharkiv and Myrhorod International Music Festival. The Princess Christina Competition was her first Dutch competition, where she won first prize in the regional final. She was also awarded the “Haydn Youth String Orchestra Prize”, which allowed her to perform as a soloist with the HJSO.