In 1853 Zapiola co-founded (together with Isidora Zegers, José Bernardo Alzedo and Francisco Oliva) the weekly El Semanario Musical, the first specialized musical publication in the country. He was also co-editor of the Estrella de Chile. In 1857, Zapiola was appointed director of the newly founded Conservatory of Music at Santiago, where he taught many artists, but he resigned a few months later due to the perceived lack of interest and funding allotted by the government. From 1864 to 1874 he became the Choir-master of the Santiago Cathedral, a post he held in name until his death in Santiago in 1885.
