1942: 13 June, born in Mias, Russia.
1946: First piano lessons and early attempts at composition.
1950-61: Attends Kharkov Music High School, sudies piano with V. Topilin, and composition with I. Dubinin.
1961-62: Attends Kharkov Conservatory, studies composition with D. Klebanov, and piano with V. Topilin. Wins an award in the Pan-Soviet Young Composers Competition.
1962-66: Attends Gnessin Institute in Moscow, studies composition with N. Peyko and piano with A. Vedernikov.
1966-80: Works as an editor for the state-owned publishers Muzyka in Moscow, and produces editions of important works by Richard Wagner, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, Charles Ives and contemporary Russian composers (Denissow, Schnittke, Gubaidulina).
1967: Joins Soviet Composers Union.
1969: Wins an award in the Pan-Soviet Young Composers Competition for a piano sonata.
1971: First performance abroad at the Festival de Royan, France.
1972-75: Teaches instrumentation and score reading at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.
1975: Founds the ASTRAEA improvisation ensemble together with V. Artyomov and S. Gubaidulina.
1979: After several performances of his works in Paris, Cologne and Venice, Suslin is publicly denounced at the VI Congress of Composers by Tikhon Khrennikov, the president of the Composers Union. He files an application to leave the Soviet Union.
1980: Suslin's membership of the Soviet Composers Union is revoked. He is dismissed by Muzyka, and forced to work as a street sweeper in Moscow.
1981: Emigrates to West Germany.
1984: Begins to teach organology, instrumentation and score reading at the Lübeck Musikhochschule, and works as an editor at Musikverlag Hans Sikorski, Hamburg.
1989: Suslin's music is once again played in Russia.
1990: Receives Culture Award of the City of Pinneberg.
1991: After an interval of ten years the ASTRAEA improvisation ensemble, now with S. Gubaidulina and A. Suslin, once again gives performances in public.
1993: Composer-in-residence, Mozarteum, Salzburg.
1995: Composer-in-residence, Kremerata Musica, Lockenhaus. With Michael Herm initiates the “Appen Classics” concert series.
1996: Composer-in-residence, Èesky Krumlov, Czech Republic.
1997: Composer-in-residence, Zurich. Appointed to the board of trustees, M. Belayev Foundation, Frankfurt am Main.