Raphaël Cendo studied paino and composition at the École normale de musique de Paris, in the composition class at the CNSMD de Paris, and then the Cursus at IRCAM (2004-2006). He has studied with A. Gaussin, B. Ferneyhough, F. Romitelli, and P. Manoury.
Along with other composers of his generation such as Y. Robin and F. Bedrossian, he advocates an aesthetic of saturation. Inspired by current music, he cultivates boundless energy in his music and never hesitates to promote what is, in sound, normally considered to be dirty.
An artist in residence at the Académie de la Villa Médicis from 2009 to 2011, ha taught composition at the conservatoire de Nanterre and lives in Berlin.