The Russian baritone Igor Gavrilov was born in Odessa. First he studied medicine and worked as a physician before he studied singing at the Rimsky-Korsakov Academy. While still a student he sang solo parts at the opera of St. Petersburg and the Rimsky-Korsakov Theater. Then he joined the ensemble of the Mussorgsky Academic Opera in St. Petersburg. 

Igor Gavrilov was also a regular guest at the Mariinsky Theater where he sang, among others, the following parts: Figaro and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Baron in La Traviata, Starik in Semen Kotko (Prokofiev), Bonze in Madama Butterfly, König René in Iolantha (Tchaikovsky), Duda in Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov), as well as Dolohov and Denisov in War and Piece (premiere), a co-production with the Metropolitan Opera New York.

Further guest contracts brought him to the Nationaloper in Warsaw, where he sang Mefistofele in Faust sang, the Hans Otto Theater Potsdam, where he sang Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Hercules (Handel), as well as the Landesbühnen Sachsen, where he performed the Hermit in Der Freischütz. Then he changed voice type from bass to baritone.

He sang Escamillo (Carmen) with the National Theater Prague on a tour through Japan. He is a regular guest at the State Opera Prague. He sang there, a.o., Scarpia (Tosca) and Tomsky (Queen of Spades).  In October 2005 he gave his role debut as Scarpia (Tosca) in Spain. In 2004 he sang Jago (Otello) in St. Petersburg. In September 2006 he sang Macbeth in Liberece, followed by Valentin (Faust), Marcello and Schaunard (La Bohème) as well as Conte di Luna (Il  Trovatore).

Igor Gavrilov undertook a concert tour through Switzerland with the program Two Centuries of Russian Classical Romance, followed by a CD production. Furthermore he gave recitals in Switzerland and the Netherlands as well as concerts in the Megaron Hall in Athens, with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, at the European Weeks in Passau, at the Prague Spring Festival, the International Festival Peter Dvorsky, the Internationalen Musicfestival Brno, and the Internationalen Musicfestival The Stars of the White Nights in St. Petersburg. In September 2006 he sang Macbeth in Liberece. There he also gave his role debut as Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore) in November 2006. The same year he sang Germont (La Traviata) in Spain.

In the fall of 2007 he guested as Warschinin in Peter Eötveös’ Three Sisters at Staatstheater Oldenburg. In 2009 he sang Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) at Theater Ulm. In January 2010 he guested as Germont (La Traviata) at Theater Plauen/Zwickau.

Since December 2010 Igor Gavrilov is a member of the theater Vereinigte Bühnen Krefeld/Mönchengladbach. There he gave his debut in February 2011 as Giacomo (Giovanna d’Arco). In April 2011 he sang there the title role in Detlev Glanert’s Joseph Süß. In the season 2011/12 he will be singing in Krefeld and Mönchengladbach Conte (Le nozze di Figaro), Posa (Don Carlo), Pantalone (L’Amour des trois Oranges) and the revival of Joseph Süß.

Igor Gavrilov has worked, among others, with the following conductors: Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Jacek Kaspszyk, Gianandrea Nozeda, Aleksandar Polianitchko, Justus Franz, Jiri Belohlavek, A. Straszynski, Serge Baudo, Alexander von Brück, Vladimir Valek, Ravil Nartinov, Sergei Stadler, Konstantin Orbelan and Andreas Spering.