Cristina Zavalloni was born in Bologna, Italy in 1973, and studied opera singing and composition in her home town. Her multilayered skills lead her to move freely among different musical genres. Her first love is jazz: she formed the ensemble "Open Quartet," with which she has recorded several CDs. She performs regularly in duo with Stefano De Bonis and with Francesco Cusa, with whom she wrote the music for the silent movie Aurora by Murnau. She collaborates with musicians such as Carla Bley, George Russell, Yves Robert, Michel Godard, Uri Caine, Han Bennik, and Pierre Favre.

Meeting important figures of the contemporary music world, like Sylvano Bussotti and, later, Louis Andriessen, has had a key role in her activity. She began performing in major theaters and festivals all over the world (Italy, Spain, England, Benelux, France, Germany, Norway, Tunisia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Australia, and USA). She portrayed Justine-Juliette in La Passion selon Sade by Bussotti; she also sings as a soloist with the ensemble Sentieri Selvaggi conducted by Carlo Boccadoro (Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Biennale of Venice, Piccolo Regio Turin).

She is a frequent collaborator with Louis Andriessen and with the violinist Monica Germino (Passeggiata in tram per l'America e ritorno, La Passione, Letter from Cathy, Inanna). She sings with many important ensembles, such as Orkest De Volharding, Icebreaker, London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Schoenberg Ensemble, and musikFabrik. She has performed Andriessen's music at the Contergebouw in Amsterdam, at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, at Berliner Festwochen, at Lincoln Center in New York, and at La Scala in Milan. She sang the role of Lucilla in Rossini's La scala di seta at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna.

She works with conductors such as Martyn Brabbins, Stefan Asbury, Reinbert de Leeuw, Diego Masson, Oliver Knussen, Ernst Van Tiel, and Jurjen Hempel. She was part of the "Big Noise" project with the piece Gli Toccha la Mano, written for her by Cornelis De Bondt (England and Netherlands, 2003/04). She often performs such 20th-century repertoire pieces as Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Berio's Folk Songs.

In 2003, she created con tutto il mio amore - Tribute to Cathy Berberian 20 years later, with premieres by Andriessen, Caine, Lugo, and Castaldi. Also that year she recorded the CD Cristina Zavalloni for Sensible Records Milan, together with the pianists Andrea Rebaudengo (music by Ravel, Berio, Falla, Ives, and Andriessen) and Stefano De Bonis (music by Strayhorn, Diaz, and Zavalloni). In 2004 Michael Nyman wrote a new piece for her: Acts of Beauty.

Subsequent recordings include the 2006 release Idea.