Alistair Zaldua studied composition with James Dillon and conducting with Zsolt Nagy. He received a DAAD to study with Mathias Spahlinger at the Musikhochschule, Freiburg, completing his studies in 1995-1997.

In 2007 he was 'Composer in Residence' and received a grant from ZKM (Karlsruhe). Previously he had residencies at the Fondation Bartels, Basel, Heinrich Ströbel Stiftung/Experimental Studio, Freiburg and was on an artist's exchange project in Hiroshima/Tokyo from the "Uchida Fellowship".

Since 1998 he has worked as conductor of the new music ensemble at the University of Music, Freiburg (Institut für Neue Musik). As a composer and conductor he has worked with different new music ensembles like Ensemble Ascolta (Stuttgart), Ensemble Aventure (Freiburg) and Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt) and SWR Chamber Ensemble and in 2005 with the Berner Symphonie Orchester.

He has been active as both composer and conducter at Festivals in Europe and South America: ECLAT and ISCM World Music Days (Stuttgart), Música Nova Sao Paolo, Núcleo Música Nueva Montevideo, Rümlingen/Basel, REM Bremen, Freiburger Frühling, Quantensprünge ZKM/IEMA Karlsruhe, Forum neuer Musik (DLF (German Radio) /Cologne).

As a conductor he has performed and premiered work by, amongst others : O.Budón, J.Dillon, B.Ferneyhough, M.Finnissy, M.Hechtle, A.Hilario, J.Horst, R.Hoffman, A.Lucier, C.Mello, M.Maiguashca, M.Maierhof, P.Eötvös (Tri Sestri), R.Redgate, J.Schöllhorn, and M.Spahlinger (farben der frühe). He recently recorded a CD of work by Michael Quell (NEOS Verlag) with Ensemble Aventure.