Mikhail Sergeevich Golikov was born in 1980 in Leningrad.
- In 1998 he graduated from a specialised secondary music school at the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatoire in the «Choral Conducting» class. Graduated from the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatoire, specialising in: «Choral Conducting» (2003, class of Professor S. N. Legkov) and «Opera and Symphony Conducting» (2009, class of Professor V. S. Sinaisky).
- In 1999 he became Artistic Director of the «Petersburg Voices» youth chamber choir, a prize-winner at international and All-Russian music competitions. From 1999 to 2005 he directed the choirs of the St Petersburg State Electrotechnical University and the St Petersburg State Technological Institute.
- From 2001 to 2006 he was a teacher at the St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts. Winner of the I International A.A. Yurlov Conductors’ Competition (2001, Yekaterinburg) and the IV All-Russian Conductors’ Competition (2002, Salavat).
- In 2005 he was awarded the Government of St. Petersburg Prize as a conductor of children’s performances. In 2003 he taught vocal and choral singing at the Maurice Bejart Ballet School in Lausanne (Switzerland).
- Since 2004 he has worked with the philharmonic orchestras of Tambov and Petrozavodsk, and is Principal Guest Conductor of the Governor’s Symphony Orchestra of the Irkutsk Philharmonic.
- From 2009 to 2012 he was a teacher at the St. Petersburg Musorgsky College of Music, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the student symphony orchestra.
- From 2009 to 2018 — Artistic Director of the Student State Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire.
- Since 2009, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg State Philharmonic for Children and Youth. Winner of the St. Petersburg Government Prize for his work on the children’s musical productions «The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats» and «The Story of Kai and Gerda». Since 2018, he has headed the Philharmonic for Children and Youth.
- Since 2009 — Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the International Symphony Orchestra «Tavrichesky» — a follower of the traditions of the orchestra and choir of the Tavricheskaya Chapel, established by the Interparliamentary Assembly of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2017 and 2020, he was Artistic Director of the Solemn Events in honour of the Assembly’s anniversary at the Tavrichesky Palace. Under the maestro’s leadership, the Tavrichesky Orchestra is actively performing in Russia and abroad: it gives concerts in prestigious halls in Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, France and China.
- In 2014, the Tavrichesky Orchestra under the maestro’s direction gave a concert at the referendum on the status of Crimea.
- In 2013, he was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria for the large-scale author’s cultural project «Symphony of the Caucasus».
- In 2017, he headed the newly formed State Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Region.
- Since 2018 — Artistic Director of the famous festival «Smoke over water. From classical to rock» ( Grand Prix at the Russian Event Awards 2021).
- Since 2020 — Artistic Director of the Choral Festival of the Leningrad Region (Grand Prix at the Russian Event Awards 2021).
- In 2020, he founded a community of like-minded people and a new orchestral formation, Digital Orchestra by Golikov, uniting leading musicians from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The official premiere of the Digital Orchestra by Golikov project was a screening of all nine of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies as part of the international online festival Classic@Home-BEE250VEN, timed to coincide with the composer’s 250th anniversary. The music project was presented at the First Russian Creative Week in Gorky Park in September 2020. In April 2021, «Beethoven by Digital Orchestra» film premiered at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival.
- In 2021 — an expert of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.
- In 2022 he became the creator and Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Caspian States. In 2023, the International Festival of Classical Art «Caspian Seasons» was organised with the maestro’s assistance. Strengthening Russia’s cultural influence in the Caspian region, the festival demonstrated a successful example of co-operation between the Caspian countries in the field of culture. Within the framework of the International Festival of Classical Art «Caspian Seasons — 2023» the International Forum of Composers of the Caspian countries was held.
- Since 2023 — founder of the Youth Symphony Orchestra, which has become a companion of the Symphony Orchestra of the Caspian States. The training of young performers is based on master classes and combined rehearsals under the guidance of the country’s leading orchestral musicians.
- Since 2023 he has been a visiting professor at the Chinese Conservatory of Music.
- Since 2023 he has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the TV BRICS International Symphony Orchestra, established in October 2023 on the basis of the TV BRICS International Media Network. The orchestra includes leading musicians from Russia, China and other BRICS+ countries.