Mikhail Tatarnikov studied opera and symphony conducting at the St Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire (class of Alexander Polishchuk).

He made his debut as a conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2006 with the premiere of the ballet Metaphysics to Prokofiev’s Second Symphony. In 2007 he conducted his first opera – a new production of Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges. He has subsequently conducted a large number of operas and concerts.

Past invitations have included orchestras such as Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Russian National Orchestra (with whom he has appeared on tour in Dresden and Philadelphia), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Gävle Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo (with Vilde Frang), Orchestra Filharmonica di Bologna, Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Novosibirsk Philharmonic, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia.

On 1 January 2012 Mikhail Tatarnikov was appointed Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre.