Michael Kugel studied at the Beethoven School of Music, at the Music College in Kharkov (Russia), where he was born, and at the Conservatory of Leningrad.

In 1975, he won the First Prize (joint with Zoltan Toth) at the International Viola Competition in Budapest.  Between 1975 and 1990, Kugel was the soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Organisation, violist of the Beethoven Quartet and professor at the Moscow Conservatory.  From 1990 till 1996, he was professor at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance.  In 1996, he settled in Belgium and is now a professor at the Ghent Conservatory (Belgium) and at the Conservatorium Maastricht (the Netherlands).

Michael Kugel appeared as a soloist with many major symphony orchestras, frequently appeared as a conductor, and has given master classes all over the world.

Kugel has enriched the viola repertoire with many transcriptions and with his own compositions.  He has recorded about 20 discs and made numerous records as a viola d'amore player as well.  He is also the author of two books.

Michael Kugel is the founder and president of the Belgian Viola Society.