Yaroslav Alexandrovich Donskov, composer and percussionist, was born on December 3, 2008 in Kaliningrad. At the age of 6 he went to school, and at 8 he entered the Kaliningrad Regional Music College named after S.V. Rachmaninov, while simultaneously engaging in other activities. In 2021, at the age of 12, he joined the Baltiyskiy Branch of the Central Medical School.
As a child, he did not show much attention to music, but by the age of 13 he had a great interest in becoming a major performer on percussion instruments and a composer. At that age, Yaroslav went to the Sirius program, after which, when he graduated from the second program at this camp, in 2023 Yaroslav played his first solo concert, the program of which was beyond the strength of many virtuosos. This year was also memorable for the fact that Yaroslav became a six-time winner of the Grand Prix of international and All-Russian competitions.
After finishing the concert, he begins to actively delve into the study of compositional disciplines: harmony, solfeggio, form analysis, instrumentation, counterpoint and other related subjects, he actively studied at a young age. Unfortunately, there was very little literature on percussion instruments, on which it would be possible to learn musical canons and principles at the same time as the performing profession. At the beginning of his career as a composer, there were many training and experimental pieces, thanks to which he realized the patterns, the embodiment of musical expression and, most importantly, his style.
On November 17, 2025, Yaroslav gave his second solo concert, which consisted almost entirely of his arrangements of classical music and his first public performance of his composition on the stage of the Baltiyskiy Branch of the Central Music School-AII - the first sonata for marimba in B minor, which caused an unusually strong sensation and resonance in society. Only a few could play the pieces that had been preparing for this concert for almost a year. The most difficult thing to interpret, according to Yaroslav, was the 4th movement of the 1st piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, which, of course, he also arranged.
-More than a year ago, since my performance in the concert hall of the Baltiyskiy branch of the Central Music School, I first heard this composition by Ludwig van Beethoven, one of my favorite composers. I studied this piano sonata, and fell incredibly in love with it: the lyrical, low-register, constantly looming rock music, the final part of the sonata played a key role in my further fascination with academic literature. From that moment on, my attitude towards classical works changed completely, and I decided that it was necessary for other people who had interacted with such musical masterpieces for a short time to show them the music that people of previous generations enjoyed in all its beauty. I am absolutely sure that there is an opportunity to let people hear the music so that they want to hear it more. I am sure that classical music can help people return to their former high state of mind, no matter what they are. They just weren't shown it in its entirety, so they refused to take it any further. Well, we'll have to fix it!
In addition, Yaroslav has already written several of his first opuses (you can find them on the website). He is going to enter the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory and perform many of his compositions.