Yuri has been recently described by The Strad as a "virtuoso with a truly Romantic temperament". Zhislin enjoys an active career on violin and viola. His performances have taken him to nearly 60 countries around the globe. Yuri entered the Royal College of Music in London in 1991, representing the College in several European cities. In 1993, Yuri became the BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year. The orchestras that Yuri performed with as a soloist include the BBC Concert Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the Lithuanian Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony and the Belgrade Philharmonic, to name a few.
Yuri's discography includes a recital CD released in 2005 on the SOMM label, a violin/viola Duos CD for Naxos in 2009, and a string trio CD for Nymbus Alliance with Dmitry Sitkovetsky on violin and Luigi Piovano on cello. A keen chamber musician, Yuri is regularly invited to participate in international music festivals throughout the world. He has worked with such artists as Maria-Joao Pires, Barry Douglas, Sergei Nakariakov, Liana Isakadze and Ivan Monighetti among many others. In 2014, he co – founded and became the Artistic Director of the Apollon International Chamber Music Festival in Cyprus. In 2004, Yuri formed the Russian Virtuosi of Europe, an ensemble comprising musicians with an enviable list of international awards and prizes.
The ensemble recently completed successful tours to both South America and Russia. Yuri is a professor of violin and viola at the Royal College of Music in London and is in high demand as a visiting professor in Summer Academies across Europe.