Valery Polivanov was born in Odessa in 1951. In 1970 he graduated from the Voronezh Music College (at present the Rostropoviches Music College in Voronezh and then from the A.V. Lunacharsky Belorussian State Conservatory in Minsk.
He worked in many leading collectives in Moscow and was the concertmaster of the percussion section in the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra directed by Veronika Dudarova (1978-1983), the P.I. Tchaikovsky Great Symphony Orchestra directed by Vladimir Fedoseyev (1983-1990), the Russian National Orchestra directed by Mikhail Pletnev (1990-2003). Since 2003, he has been the concertmaster of the percussion section of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia.
He has co-worked with the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra directed by Vladimir Spivakov, the Musica viva Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Rudin and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra directed by Misha Rakhlevsky.
He has been granted the title of Merited Artist of Russia and the Order of Friendship.