Igor Chamo was born in kyiv on February 21, 1925, into a family of Jewish origin. He graduated in 1941 from the Lysenko music school in kyiv, where his main subjects were composition (class of D. Pisarevsky) and piano. Among his teachers are also Arseniy Yankelevich, Abram Lufer and Matvey Gozenpud.

A great friend of Yan Frenkel, he was forced to leave town and immigrate because of the mobilization. In 1941, Chamo was evacuated to Oufa, where he then studied medicine for two years. In May 1942, he was incorporated into the Soviet army as a medical assistant. He participated in battles around the Voroney within the first Ukrainian front. He goes, as a military paramedic from Stalingrad to Berlin. Wounded at the end of the war, he was appointed lieutenant of the health service.

On his return to Kiev in 1946, he resumed his musical studies at the Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, from which he graduated with honors in 1951. Admitted to composition in the classes of Boris Lyatoshinsky and Lev Revutsky4, he had joined the Union of Soviet composers since 1948. Long years of friendship and common creativity have linked Igor Chamo and Vladimir Besfamilnov, professor at the Kiev Conservatory. The accordionist created the concerto for accordion (with buttons) and symphony orchestra under the direction of the composer. He died in kyiv on August 16, 1982.