Born in Minsk, Belarus to a family of professional musicians, Kyril Zlotnikov began his studies at the Belarusian State Music Academy with Prof. Vladimir Perlin. He continued his studies in Israel with Prof. Uzi Wiesel and Hillel Zori, completing his musical education under the direction Prof. Michael Khomitzer in Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance. While a student, Kyril Zlotnikov has participated in master classes and courses with such prominent musicians as Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalia Gutman, Boris Pergamenschikov, Aldo Parisot and Georgy Kurtag.

 

Since 1991 Kyril Zlotnikov was a recipient of a scholarship for musical achievements from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, won prizes in many contests including the Clairmont Competition, the Braun-Roger Siegl Competition, the Pierre Tarcali Prize is the most recent one.

 

He is a founding member of the recognized for its artistic creativity, one of the most dynamic and exciting young quartets currently performing – The Jerusalem Quartet. The musicians have been giving multiply performances all over the world and become the Israel’s leading string quartet. Since 2002 the Jerusalem Quartet records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi.

 

Along with his extensive chamber music appearances Kyril Zlotnikov has performed and been broadcast as a soloist with internationally renowned orchestras, such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra under the direction of Lawrence Foster, the Ludwigsburg Symphony Orchestra and Jerusalem Camerata and more. He has a wide repertoire covering the important cello works of the baroque, the classical period, romantic and the contemporary music.

 

Kyril Zlotnikov is a regular guests at major chamber music festivals such as the Proms Festival, the Bartok Festival, the Vancouver, the Menton, the Ravinia «Rising Stars», the Schleswig-Holstein, the Jerusalem and the Scwetzingen Festivals He is honored to perform with many prominent musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Jessye Norman, Pierre Boulez, Elena Bashkirova, Natalia Gutman, Tabea Zimmerman, Miriam Fried, Hagai Shaham, Boris Pergamenschikov, Michael Tree, Asher Fish, Nikolaj Znaider, Lang Lang and Richard Stoltzman.

 

Since 2003 Kyril Zlotnikov has been a principal cellist and a teacher of the cello group at the «East-Western Divan Orchestra» under Maestro Daniel Barenboim.

He also frequently takes part in special projects and tours of the Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra as a principal cellist.

 

Kyril Zlotnikov has recently recorded the complete Mozart piano trios with Maestro Daniel Barenboim and violinist Nikolaj Znaider. The two CDs were released by EMI in April 2006.

 

Kyril Zlotnikov plays a 1970 Sergio Peresson cello kindly loaned by Maestro Daniel Barenboim. This instrument was the favorite cello of his late wife, the famous cellist Jacqueline du Pré. In addition, America–Israel Cultural Foundation loaned him a 1743 J.B. Guadagnini cello.