Hayrapet Arakelyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1991. From 1999 until 2003 Hayrapet studied with Alexander Manukyan at the Alexander Spendiarian Music School, followed by master classes with Greek saxophonist Theodore Kerkezos. Since 2005 he is student of Prof. Daniel Gauthier at the University of Music in Cologne, Germany.

Hayrapet Arakelyan has won prizes at numerous international competitions including the International Saxophone Competition in Nantes, France (1st Prize), the Selmer-Paris Competition in Kiev, Ukraine (2nd Prize) and the International Saxophone Competition in France (1st Prize). In 2005 he was awarded the Grand Prix of the Armenian Yamaha Competition in Yerevan; in 2007, he won 2nd Prize at the International Adriatico Competition in Ancona, Italy. In 2009 he won 1st Prize at the Federal Jugend Musiziert Music Competition in Germany, the Special Prize of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, and a Special Prize for Young Musicians of the CDU Seniors’ Union in the State of North-Rhine Westphalia. In May of 2010, Arakelyan represented Germany in the final round of the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition in Vienna. In the spring of 2011, Arakelyan won 2nd Prize as well as the Special Prize of the Poznań Philharmonic at the VI. International Music Competition in Oldenburg and 1st Prize in the duo category (Arakelyan-Korolev Duo) as well as the New York Debut Special Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition Salieri-Zinetti in Verona, Italy.

Arakelyan has appeared at numerous festivals including the International Music Festival in Paris, the International Aram Khachaturian Festival in the USA, the XII. International St. Petersburg Palaces Music Festival, the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, the Assisi nel Mondo Festival in Italy, the Musical Olympus Festival in St. Petersburg and Zurich in 2008, New York in 2009, Berlin in 2010 and Singapore in 2011, as well as the Rheingau Music Festival. He has appeared with orchestras such as the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras of Armenia, Sinfonietta Köln, the Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the State Hermitage St. Petersburg, the Russian State Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen, the Poznań Philharmonic and New York’s Julliard School Orchestra. Arakelyan has performed in many European countries as well as in Russia, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United States, and Canada. At the tender age of 20 he already performed at the concert halls of the Moscow Conservatory, at Carnegie Hall, at Berlin’s Philharmonie and at Singapore’s Esplanade Hall among others.

Hayrapet Arakelyan is recipient of scholarships from New Names of Armenia, from the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation and from the Guzik Foundation. In 2009/2010, Arakelyan was awarded a Gerd-Bucerius Scholarship by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.