Yuri Goloubev won the First Prize in the All-Soviet-Union Students' Competition in 1990, then started work as the Principal Bass with the Moscow-based "Ensemble XXI" Chamber Orchestra (1990–1991).

It was during this time that he performed with many artists such as Mario Brunello, Sarah Chang, James Galway, Lynn Harrell, Barbara Hendricks, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, Shlomo Mintz, Thomas Quasthoff, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Spivakov, Uto Ughi and Maxim Vengerov.

He worked with such artists as Francesco Bearzatti, Fabrizio Bosso, Antonio Faraò, Giovanni Falzone, Claudio Fasoli, Paolo Fresu, Rosario Giuliani, Guido Manusardi, Massimo Manzi, Enrico Pieranunzi and Glauco Venier.

He also worked with Bob James, Pablo Held, Till Brönner, Asaf Sirkis, Harvey Mason, Franco Ambrosetti, Kenny Werner, Klaus Gesing, John Law, Benjamin Henocq, Stan Sulzmann, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Julian Argüelles, Tim Garland, Rick Margitza, Manhu Roche, Gwilym Simcock, Chico Freeman, Jason Rebello, Daniele Di Bonaventura, Chihiro Yamanaka, Bill Smith and Billy Kilson.

The critic Dave Gelly wrote in The Observer "In Russian bassist Yuri Goloubev, Gwilym Simcock has obviously found a collaborator with the same expansive imagination and equal virtuosity.