Natalia Surnina was born in Votkinsk in 1983. After studying at the Theory Department of Perm Musical College (completed in 2002), she graduated from the Music History and Theory Department of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (2007) and completed her postgraduate course there in 2010.
From 2006 to 2010, she was employed by the Science and Education Department of the Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum as a tour guide, where she authored a special ballet-themed tour across the permanent exhibition. She was also in charge of running evening educational events and meetings. In 2009–2012, she wrote scripts for Absolutny Slukh (or Absolute Pitch) at Kultura TV Channel, also being the music editor of the show in 2010–2011. <<cut>>
From 2011 to 2017, Natalia Surnina was the literary manager of Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater where she ran a series of educational meetings titled Premiere: User Manual with leading musicologists, drama experts and composers.
In 2017–2019, Natalia Surnina was an editor of the Literary and Drama section of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre. She was actively involved in the Studio educational project running guided tours, lectures, and open meetings. She also took part in preparing Chronicle. 1918–2018, a publication dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the theater. In 2017–2018, she co-managed CoOPERAtsiya Laboratory of Young Composers and Playwrights, where she currently works as a press secretary and editor.
Since February 2019, Natalia Surnina has been a spokesperson for the Moscow Philharmonic Society, where she is also in charge of designing booklets, running educational projects and lectures before concerts. In the 2021/22 season she hosts the Voices of the World Organs subscription concerts and the children's programme Meet the Organ.
She has presented classical music concerts at the St. Andrew's Anglican Church since 2007, and at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral since 2015. She also hosts concerts at the Great and Small Halls of the Moscow Conservatory, Glinka Museum of Musical Culture, and Moscow International House of Music, as well as at museums and concert halls all over Moscow. She has collaborated with Moscow Autumn and Organ Evenings in Kuskovo festivals.
As a music journalist, Natalia Surnina regularly collaborates with Musical Life, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, and Colta.ru. She has had her works published in Vedomosti, Kommersant, Izvestia, Mariinsky Theater, Bolshoi Theater, Ballet and other newspapers and magazines. Also, she has authored articles and interviews for booklets of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia and the Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater. In 2016, she won the Resonance Young Critics ward.
Natalia Surnina is a member of the Musicology Section of the Youth Department of the Composers' Union.
