After a university degree in linguistics, she entered the CNSMDP in 1977; she followed the lessons of analysis, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration and composition, as well as that of orchestra conducting; she graduated in these disciplines.

Suzanne Giraud diversified her musical education with Claude Ballif, Jacques Lejeune and Philippe Mion at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM), Hugues Dufourt, Tristan Murail at l'Itinéraire, Iannis Xenakis.

In 2007/2008, Suzanne Giraud was composer in residence at the Conservatoire supérieur de Genève, then with the Orchestre d'Auvergne and its conductor Arie van Beek.

Suzanne Giraud gave her first lessons at the age of 16, in a local cultural youth centre in a Strasbourg district considered «disadvantaged»; for two years, she introduced children to the piano and music.

She quickly joined the Conservatory of Strasbourg and taught piano, before going to Île-de-France to teach writing, music history, preparation for the baccalaureate test, analysis.

She returned to pedagogy and joined the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris as a professor of composition and contemporary musical culture.

from Mellin de Saint-Gelais; Petrarca, collection of madrigals on Petrarch sonnets; La musique nous vient d’ailleurs, from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.

She has worked with contemporary authors; on five occasions, with Pascal Quignard, including Johannisbaum in 2011, Le chant du Marais in 2017, Les enfants du Marais in 2019; with Dominique Fernandez for the opera Caravaggio of which she has co-wrote the libretto and where Philippe Jaroussky played the title role; with Olivier Py, for the creation of the opera Le Vase de Parfums.