Karo Zakaryan was born in the city of Van in Western Armenia. Between 1916 and 1918, he was a student at the Petrograd Conservatory's vocal department. In 1924, he graduated from the composition class of the Tbilisi Conservatory. From 1921 to 1929, he worked as a teacher and choirmaster at the Armenian House of Art in Tbilisi. In 1929, he moved to Yerevan, where he taught choral conducting at the Yerevan State Conservatory. Between 1938 and 1953, he conducted the Armenian Radio Choir. In 1960, he was honored with the title of People's Artist of Armenia. Karo Zakaryan died in Yerevan.
