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 Profs. Uzi Wiesel and Hillel Zori, completing his musical education under the direction of Prof. Michael Khomitzer at Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance. While a student, Mr Zlotnikov 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 Mr Zlotnikov has been a recipient of a musical achievement scholarship from the America-Israel Culture Foundation. He has won prizes in many contests including the Clairmont Competition and the Braun-Roger Siegl Competition, with the Pierre Tarcali Prize being the most recent accomplishment.
Mr Zlotnikov is a founding member of one of the most dynamic and exciting young string quartets currently performing -- The Jerusalem Quartet. The musicians give performances all over the world and have become Israel's leading string quartet. Since 2002 the Jerusalem Quartet records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi.
Along with his extensive chamber music appearances, Mr Zlotnikov has performed and been broadcast as a soloist with internationally renowned orchestras, such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Ludwigsburg Symphony Orchestra, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and Jerusalem Camerata and enjoys artistic collaboration with acclaimed conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Lawrence Foster and Asher Fish. He has a wide repertoire covering the important cello works of the baroque, the classical period, as well as romantic and contemporary music.
Mr Zlotnikov is a regular guest 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. A keen recitalist and chamber musician, he has shared the stage with the foremost artists of today such as Daniel Barenboim, Jessye Norman, Pierre Boulez, Elena Bashkirova, Mitsuko Uchida, Natalia Gutman, Tabea Zimmerman, Miriam Fried, Hagai Shaham, Michael Tree, Asher Fish, Nikolaj Znaider, Lang Lang and Richard Stoltzman.
Since 2003 Mr Zlotnikov has been a principal cellist and a teacher of the cello group at the "West-Eastern Divan Orchestra" under Maestro Barenboim. He frequently takes part in special projects and tours of the Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra as a principal cellist.
Mr Zlotnikov has recorded the complete Mozart piano trios with Maestro Barenboim and violinist Nikolaj Znaider. The two CDs were released by EMI in April 2006.
Mr Zlotnikov plays a 1970 Sergio Peresson cello kindly loaned by Maestro Barenboim. This instrument was the favorite cello of his late wife, the famous cellist Jacqueline du Pré. Mr Zlotnikov is also very grateful to America-Israel Culture Foundation who generously loans him a 1743 J.B. Guadagnini cello.
