Victor Levovich Makarov was born in 1953, in Armavir (Russia) in the clerks' family. In 1956 his parents — Leo Nikolayevich and Alfreda Viktorovna — after the V. Makarov's younger sister was born, moved to Ukraine, to Donbass town Krasny Luch (Beautiful Ray). At the age of 6 V.Makarov had begun to take his piano lessons under tuition of Elena Yefimovna Visotskaya. 6 Years later the young pianist entered the Kharkov Secondary Special Music Boarding School where he studied with Victoria Alexandrovna Krytchevskaya until 1972. From 1972 to 1977 V. Makarov studied at the Kharkov Institute of Arts (at the present time — The Kharkov State University of Arts) under tuition of outstanding musician Regina Samoilovna Horowitz, sister of Vladimir Horowitz. In 1975 V. Makarov married Victoria Ivanovna Salomatina, his school and institute mate. In 1980 their daughter Katerina was born. Whilst being a student V. Makarov begun his teaching career at the Institute. After graduation he had got 1.5 years of military service. His post graduate course V. Makarov had done at the Leningrad (now St.Petersburg) State Conservatoire under tuition of People Artist of Russia, Professor Tatyana Petrovna Kravchenko. In 1981 V.Makarov came back to Kharkov and since that time until 1998 had been working at the piano department of the Institute of Arts. From 1985, since he became the head of the piano department at the Kharkov Secondary Special Music Boarding School, the students of this school became outright winners and other prize-winners of numerous International Piano Competitions. V. Makarov especially cooperated with the International piano copmetitions «In memory of V.Horowitz» (Kiev) and «V.Krainev piano competition» (Kharkov). Since 1995 V. Makarov — Emeritus Man of Arts of Ukraine, 1997 — Professor.
In 1998 he was invited by the Australian Institute of Music and immigrated to Australia together with his family and 5 Ukrainian students. Professor V.Makarov has trained 20 outright winners and other prize-winers in more than 40 International Piano Competitions. His book, «The Piano Method for Children», was translated in english and published in Australia in 1998. He also produced video on piano education. V. Makarov worked as a guest professof in Japan and Korea as well as juror of the International Piano Competitions, conducted master-classes around the world. In 2002 Professor's V.Makarov master-classes at Oji Hall, Tokyo were recorded by Japanese TV for the program «Classica Japan» and broadcasted over eight programs on Japanese television.
In February 2004, two weeks after «The Sydney Morning Herald» published a big positive article about his achievements, Professor V. Makarov was accused by few of his students, including 3 Ukrainians, who have studied with him for 12-14 years, had come with him to Australia and became the members of his family, of crimes of sexual nature, which he totally denied. Many people around the world: the students, students' parents, colleagues, friends and family, including 2 other Ukrainian students, strongly supported V. Makarov. In 2004-2005, after 3 trials, without any proof, on the basis of allegations only, returned guilty verdicts and Professor V.Makarov was sentenced to 12 years of non-parole imprisonment. In May 2008 V. Makarov appealed his convictions in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. He was successful in one of the three appeals, with 2 Ukrainian students' matter ordered for retrials. However, the appeals concerning the matters of 2 other students and documented evidence of the facts that the allegations against V. Makarov had been completely fabricated, had been dismissed. At the current time Professor V. Makarov is preparing the appeals, which had been dismissed, to High Court of Australia.
In 2005, in jail, in was attempt upon V. Makarov's life, he was operated and transferred to non-association unit. In 2006 and 2008 V. Makarov was physically assaulted by the prison's guards. In 2007, despite the facts that V. Makarov's wife and daughter are Australian citizens, he continuously appealing his convictions to the Court, he requested to let him exhaust all legal opportunities to clear his name, the minister fo Citizenship, braking elementary Human Rights, revoked V. Makarov's Australian citizenship.
