Born in Lourdes in 1952, Zanési began his musical training at the University of Pau with Marie-Françoise Lacaze and Guy Maneveau, before entering the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied with Pierre Schaeffer and Guy Reibel. In 1977, he became a member of the INA Groupe de Recherche Musicale. Since then, his work has been produced by Radio France (France Musique, France Culture), and he has presented lectures on composition in France and abroad.

His catalogue includes works such as Eclisses (1978), La Nuit Rebis (1979), Trois devinettes à écouter pendant l’orage (1980), Arkheion, les mots de Stockhausen (1955), and Toto Valse (1966), as well as film scores for the animated films of René Laloux and music for theatre productions, created in collaboration with François Joxe. Since 1986, he has been a contributor to the musical environments for Bauduin’s sculptures.

Finally, Christian Zanési was a co-founder of Ars Sonora, an association which promotes electro-acoustic music, notably through the publication of the quarterly Ars Sonora Revue.