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 participated in master classes and courses with such prominent musicians as Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalia Gutman, Boris Pergamenschikow, Aldo Parisot and Georgy Kurtag.
Since 1991 Kyril Zlotnikov was a recipient of a scholarship from the America- Israel Culture Foundation, won prizes in many contests including the Clairmont
Competition, the Braun-Roger Siegl Competition, the Pierre Tarcali Prize. He is a founding member of the recognised 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, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Ludwigsburg Symphony Orchestra, The Gulbenkian Orchestra, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Jerusalem Camerata and enjoys artistic collaboration with acclaimed conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Lawrence Foster, Asher Fish, Simone Young. 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, Verbier Festival, Vancouver, Gstaad, Saltzburg, Rheingau, Ravinia, Schleswig-Holstein, the Jerusalem and the Schwetzingen Festivals among others. A keen recitalist and chamber musician, Zlotnikov has shared the stage with the foremost artists of today such as Daniel Barenboim, András Schiff, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Pierre Boulez, Elena Bashkirova, Mitsuko Uchida, Natalia Gutman, Tabea Zimmerman, Miriam Fried, Michael Tree, Asher Fish, Nikolaj Znaider, Lang Lang, Itamar Golan, Martin Fröst.
Kyril Zlotnikov has served as a jury member for several international competitions, including the ARD International Music Competition in Munich 2016.
From 2001 till 2012 Kyril Zlotnikov was a principal cellist and a teacher of thecello group at the "West- Eastern Divan Orchestra" under Maestro Daniel
Barenboim. He also frequently took part in special projects and tours of the Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra as a principal cellist. Among many recordings with the Jerusalem Quartet, Zlotnikov has recorded the complete Mozart piano trios with Maestro Daniel Barenboim and violinist Nikolaj Znaider. The two CDs were released by EMI in April 2006.
Since 2020, Kyril is an ambassador for Jargar Strings.
Zlotnikov plays a 1710 Giovanni Battista Ruggieri cello which was loaned generously to him from a private collection for life time.
