Born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, Zakariasen began his career as a classical tenor in the late 1950s, appearing in operas and in concerts.
In the early 1970s he moved away from performance into the field of journalism, establishing himself as a respected Manhattan-based music critic.
In 1976 he became the chief classical-music critic of the New York Daily News where he worked for the next seventeen years.
Zakariasen was also a repeat contributor of articles to Opera News magazine and to New York Concert Review.
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