Born in Bulgaria into a family of musicians, Nikola Nikolov arrived in France at the age of five. After asking to play the trumpet, he began studying the violin at the Nice Conservatoire at the age of 8. His time at the Cannes Orchestra Academy, particularly alongside their concertmaster Berthilde Dufour, gave him a taste for orchestral music and his first taste of performing with an orchestra. 

When it came to choosing his path, after wavering between aviation and music, he took a few lessons with Catherine Courtois, Olivier Charlier and Boris Garlitsky, and discovered a new love for the violin. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Garlitsky, then undertook a course in string quartet with Marc Coppey. His passion for chamber music led him to perform at various festivals in sonata, quartet and other ensembles.

He heard the Orchestre de Paris in concert for the first time in November 2005, notably in Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, and, deeply moved, decided he would do everything in his power to join the orchestra. He joined the Orchestre de Paris in 2008 shortly after completing his studies at the conservatoire.