Raffi Mikaelian was born on June 12, 1985 in Kuwait and was raised in Lebanon.

Raffi began his musical career at the age of six when his mother, wanting to raise a well rounded son, thought it beneficial to enroll her son in piano lessons. Although he ended his piano lessons four years later, he always felt a great passion towards music and experimented with many concepts regarding dynamics and rhythms. Even as a young musician, Raffi sought individuality as a musician. At the age of sixteen, he insisted on resuming his piano lessons after a six year break in his training.

During this six year interruption in his formal studies, he discovered Komitas’s and A. Khachaturian’s music in addition to S. Rachmaninof’s 2nd and 3rd piano concertos. He also attended many concerts of both vocal and instrumental, which fed his growing desire to continue his musical studies.

In 2000, Raffi enrolled in Beirut’s Musical College after the name of B. Ganatchian, to pursue his dream of becoming a conductor, despite the fact that he did not excel in his studies as a pianist. One day, his classmate introduced him to the famous choirmaster, Zakar Keshishian, who advised him to consider attending choral conducting lessons to start, rather than orchestra conducting because he did not play an instrument. With this in mind, in 2002, he studied both piano and choral conducting. After six months he conducted his first choir. In 2003 he graduated from the Levon and Sophia Hagopian Armenian College with bachelors in sociology and economy. At the suggestion of Zakar Keshishian, Raffi then enrolled in Yerevan’s State Conservatory after the name of Komitas to continue his studies in Choral Conducting.

Raffi went to Yerevan to follow his dream and to fulfill the prophecy of a family friend who started calling him “Maestro” at the age of six.

In 2004, Raffi appeared with Shoushi’s Varanda and Beirut’s Gargatch Choirs (Artistic Director: Z. Keshishian) as choirmaster. In December 2005, he toured Syria and Lebanon with the “Avedis Choir” as a bass singer and participated in their CD recording. Raffi spent two winters in Shoushi (2005, 2006) working with the Varanda Choir.

In 2006, Raffi began singing as a bass voice with the State Academic Choir of Armenia. Also in 2006, he conducted Armenian contemporary music for a “nonet” instrumental ensemble and recorded a CD—his first as a conductor.

In 2008, Raffi graduated from Ivan A. Vartanian' s class of Choral conducting.

After graduating as a choirmaster in 2008, he started working as a singer at the conservatory’s choir. He continues his post graduate studies as a choirmaster and as a 3rd year orchestra conductor (class of Ruben Asatrian). During his studies, Raffi has established several choirs and vocal ensembles most notably establishing along with his folklore Teacher Karine Broutian the "Gousan Choir".

In 2009, Raffi became the Artistic Director and Choirmaster of the Paros Chamber Choir.

Raffi appears on stage as both a choir singer and choir conductor; he continues to work towards his goal of conducting an orchestra at a concert. He also aspires to conduct Komitas’s Liturgy at the Tatev Monastery in Southeastern Armenia.