Born in Moscow in 1976, Vladimir Sverdlov comes from a family with a long tradition of producing great artists. His grandfather, David Ashkenazy, composer, pianist and accompanist, was a great influence on him in his formative years. His first compositions were produced under his grandfather’s guidance and Vladimir has paid tribute to him by adding his surname to his own. His uncle's decision (famous pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy) to return to Moscow to perform after an absence of twenty-five years, made such an impression on his nephew that he was inspired to win the Grand Prize of all the national music schools at the age of fourteen.

Vladimir Sverdlov started piano classes with V.A. Tutuchkina and I.M. Leschinskaya and his first major influence as a composer was V.V. Fessenko. In 1991 he joined the Moscow Central Music School, studying in the class of Vladimir Kraynev and in 1994 continued his studies in Hannover under the guidance of Arie Vardi.

He made his first tour in Germany in 1992 with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra under the direction of Dmitri Kitaenko and in 1993 won the International Piano Competition in Italy (Senigalli). In 1999, he participated in the Queen Elisabeth Competition and in 2006 he won the Monte Carlo Masters (Concours des concours) Competition, which proved the turning point in his career.

He performs regularly at important festivals including the Progetto Martha Argerich, collaborates with artists such as Mikhael Pletnev, Misha Maisky, Martha Argerich and Alexander Vedernikov and performs internationally with major orchestras.

In 2004, he created his own company, Arts Production Company, organizing cultural events in the Benelux countries and since 2008, when he decided to return to composition of both music and poetry (his first book of poems being published in 2011). He has included his own compositions and recitations in his recitals, as well as undertaking regular series of poetry readings (in both French and Russian) and producing music for theatre and film.

In 2012, he has released a CD on the label Piano Classics, containing the Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Balakirev’s Islamey and the world premiere of his own “4 Pieces” .