In 1994, Yaroslav Kopylkov graduated from the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov St Petersburg State Conservatory (teachers: B. Kozlov, and A. Shilo, Honored Artist of Russia). He participated in master classes given by R. Ibrahimov, S. Akopov, K. Trumpf.
Yaroslav Kopylkov has been a soloist of the St Petersburg Opera Orchestra, a member of the Mariinsky Orchestra, and the principal double-bass at the orchestras of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile) and the Buryat State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 2012–2013, he was assistant principal double-bass at the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra (Finland).
He has also worked together with the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet, and the Vocal Ensemble “Anima”.
In 2010, at the official opening of the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yaroslav Kopylkov took part in the world premiere of The Elegy for Two (for double-bass and viola with orchestra) composed by A.Lubchenko. He has appeared at the Concertgebouw (Netherlands), La Scala (Italy), the Metropolitan Opera (USA), the NHK Hall (Japan), at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres, Covent Garden (Great Britain), and many other concert venues in Germany, France, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Belgium. He has performed under the direction of such conductors as V. Gergiev, M. Jansons, S. Svetlanov, Ch. Eschenbach, M. Benini, R. Brignoli, Esa-Pekka Salonen, etc.
He has taken part in such Festivals as Stars of the White Nights, Moscow Easter Festival, and the Mikkeli Music Festival (Finland).
Since 2013, Yaroslav Kopylkov has been employed as the principal double-bass of the Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage.
