Born in Guadix (Granada) in 1963, he began his musical journey as a child singer in the Escolanía de Guadix and was a disciple of guitarist Cándido Ortiz. He is a descendant of notable families, including the romantic writer Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, baroque sculptor Torcuato Ruiz del Peral, as well as the noble houses of Austria and de Leyva.
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PhD in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology from the University of Granada (UGR).
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Professor of Classical and Flamenco Guitar at the Superior Conservatory of Music (CSM) in Granada.
His discography and concert career are extensive. He has performed in over 60 countries, including three tours in Germany, and has taken part in numerous international festivals such as:
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International Guitar Festival of Córdoba (1991)
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International Guitar Festival of Lublin, Poland (1992, 1993)
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International Festival of Carthage, Tunisia (1993, 2002, 2014)
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International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada (1995, 2003, 2010)
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Rheingau Music Festival in Frankfurt (1999)
He recorded music for the soundtrack of the reconstructed 1925 film Currito de la Cruz by E. Morente, for the Seville Biennial and EXPO’92.
In 2016, he performed a concert in the Cathedral of Guadix with the bass choir Accichorus—a collaboration blending Gregorian chant and flamenco—which resulted in the live recording of the CD De Profundis a lo Jondo.
In October 2014, he performed at the Andrés Segovia International Guitar Festival in Madrid with Dúo Giménez. In 2015, he gave three concerts alongside Dúo Giménez and Sara Jiménez as part of the Veranos Clásicos de la Villa de Madrid.
He has served as a guest professor at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, for three consecutive years at the Conservatorio Superior de Canto in Madrid, and at four American universities as part of the Spanish Music Performance Course with Teresa Berganza and Nan Maro: St. Louis University, Mannes School in New York, TCU in Texas, and UCLA in Los Angeles.
