He finished his studies of composition at the Music Pedagogical Institute of Rostov in 1971, class of L. P. Klinitchev, and reached the grade of "Aspirantura" at the consevatory of Moscow in 1974, at the class of S. A. Balasanyan. Since 1974 he was teaching composition and instrumentation at the Music Pedagogical Institute of Rostov-on-Don. In 1981 he became Rector of that institute, which he stayed till 1988. One year later, in 1989 he was professor at the same institute. (Now this institute is called "Rachmaninoff Conservatory".