Maxim Melnikov was born in 1972, began playing piano at age 6, and french horn at 12, studied French Horn in Lugansk Music College with his father, Vladimir Melnikov, and in Russian Academy of Music (Gnesiny Institute) with Prof. Alexandr Ryabinin.
Laureat of Russian Brass Players Competition in 1992.
Maxim started his professional carrier at 16 in Lugansk Philharmonic Orchestra. A 3 years later he was appointed as a Principal Horn with the Moscow Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre.
In 1997 Maxim joined State Academic Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra as a Co-Principal horn, and, in 2003 he was appointed as a Principal Horn with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2013 Maxim Melnikov was one of founders of State Primorsky Opera&Ballet Orchestra as an Orchestra General Manager.
Other prestigious orchestras, that he has performed with, include Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra. Besides orchestral playing he is an active conductor, soloist and chamber player, his solo appearances, among other, have included performances with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, State Primorsky Operaв&Ballet Orchestra, he also performed as a Guest Conductor with the Borodin Symphony Orchestra.