Jaroslaw de Zielinski was born March 31, 1844 in Lubycza Krolewska, Poland. He was born into an affluent family, received a solid education in Lemberg and Theresianum in Vienna and became a student of Carl Mikuli, a famous pupil of Frederic Chopin. As a young man he participated in the unsuccessful Polish uprising against Russia in 1863-64, immigrating to the United States in 1864. Immediately upon arrival to the United States he joined the Union Army as a bugler during the Civil War. After being honorably discharged in 1865 he moved to New York and devoted himself to teaching pianoforte and voice.

In 1871 he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he continued to teach music and conducted local concerts. He formed a long-term friendship with his pupil Edith V. Rann and corresponded with her for 30 years regarding his philosophy on music, music trends, and personal matters. In 1879 he moved to Detroit, Michigan and became the director of the Schuman Society and the Detroit Opera Company. In 1889 he moved to Buffalo, NY and became the director and choir master of the Church of the Ascension. In 1910 he moved to Los Angeles, California where he belonged to numerous musical organizations, contributed to a variety of musical literary publications and focused on his own piano and voice compositions. He died in Santa Barbara, California July 25, 1922.