Carine Zarifian started her piano studies at Marseille CRR - Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional - in Pierre Barbizet's class and she obtained the first piano, chamber music and accompaniement prizes.

Then, she entered in Carlos Roque-Alsina's class at Lyon CNSMD - Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse - where she won the first prize and graduated with honors in 1993.

Then, she completed her piano studies and won the second prize of the International 20th century Music Competition and the Special prize for the best interpretation of Catalan music in Sitges (Spain).

Passionate by contemporary music and works for piano, she performed the Maurice Ohana Etudes in Marseille (1988) under the composer's direction, and also some Carlos Roque-Alsina's work « Hinterland » for piano, percussions at the Radio France Festival (1994 and 2000), and then George Crumb "Makrokosmos" at French Caen « Musique d'aujourd'hui » Festival in 2000 and also the " Desert Music" from Steve Reich at the Archipel Festival the same year (Switzerland)...

Karine Zarifian took also part in a retrospective of the french composer Gilbert Amy's music in 2002 and also interpreted the Ligeti Etudes.

She performed with the american violinist Nurit Pacht for Bob Wilson show « Relative Lights » in Spain, Canary Isles and Italy.

Furthermore she accompanied Michel Hermon for the piece entitled "le Voyage d'Hiver" and for the Heinrich Heine's show (French « Maison de la Poésie » in 2003).

She also performes as a soloist and plays chamber music in France and in Europa in such festival as Hambourg NDR (1998), Koblenz Festival (Germany, 1996-1999), Vienna "Récitals au Palais Razumovsky (Austria, 1996 and 1988), Novara Festival (Italy , 1999) and at Roma Festival. She went on concert tours in Switzerlan, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic...

She performed recently Beethoven sonatas for cello and piano at Paris Cortot Concert Hall, Brahms sonatas for violin and piano, Schumann « Introduction and Allegro Appassionato » with Caen Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Marc Foster, and also Rachmaninoff n°2 piano concerto and a 20th century music recital in Argentina in August 2003.

Karine Zarifian was graduated with a teaching diploma at Paris CNSMD in 1998.

She is Piano Professor at Paris Maurice Ravel Conservatory. At the same time, she gives master classes in France and Europe.