Collective

He was born into a family of musicians from the Andreevsky Orchestra, balalaika players Rinat Gafarov and Nadezhda Dokshina. He studied balalaika at a music school with his father, after which he entered the St. Petersburg Music College named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov to the Honored Artist of Russia, Honored Artist of Russia, Professor M.I. Senchurov. After graduating from college, he continued his studies in the class of art history candidate A.M. Demidova at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. In 2001 he was accepted into the prima balalaikas group of the State Academic Russian Orchestra named after V.V.Andreev.

As a soloist with the Andreevsky Orchestra, Rustam Gafarov is a virtuoso on his instrument and frequently joins his brother, balalaika musician Oleg Gafarov, in duets during the group's concert programs.

The geography of Rustam Gafarov's performances covers many countries of the world. He represented Russian culture at international competitions and festivals, performed with the Andreevsky Orchestra and other St. Petersburg orchestras and ensembles, and accompanied official delegations from the Russian Federation's government.