A guitarist, composer, and educator born in Huelva, Spain.

He began playing the guitar at a very young age under the guidance of his father, Francisco Calleja. He quickly earned numerous awards as a solo guitarist in prestigious competitions, including the National Guitar Competition of Chiclana de la Frontera and the Young Flamenco Enthusiasts Competition.

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He holds a degree in classical guitar from the Javier Perianes Professional Music Conservatory in Huelva and a degree in flamenco guitar from the Rafael Orozco Higher Conservatory of Music in Córdoba.

He has accompanied first-rate singers such as Paco Toronjo, Mayte Martín, Miguel Poveda, Carmen Linares, and Arcángel, and has worked with dance companies like those of Manolo Marín, Eva Yerbabuena, and Mario Maya.

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He is a member of Jarcha, an important group from Huelva that, among other things, has promoted the popular music of the province of Huelva and composed such significant songs as "Andaluces de Jaén," "Libertad sin ira," "Cadenas," etc.

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Paco Cruzado has also approached contemporary classical music, collaborating with the Spanish composer and conductor Mauricio Sotelo on the show "De oscura llama."  

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He has composed, produced, and performed music for the following shows:

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• "Mudanzas boleras 1812-2012," directed by Francisco Velasco, principal dancer of the National Ballet of Spain.

• "Mariposas blancas," a show inspired by the work "Platero y Yo" by Nobel Prize winner Juan Ramón Jiménez with a script by Abel Moreno.

• "Huelva. La luz del flamenco," an audiovisual show by Pepe Gómez "El Marismeño" featuring holographic images.

 

He has performed music and composed for:

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• "Khalo caló," with choreography by Rafael Estévez, winner of the 2019 National Dance Award in the creation category, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Spanish Government.

• "Metáfora" by the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, directed by Rubén Olmo, winner of the 2015 National Dance Award and current director of the National Ballet of Spain.

• "Tranquilo alboroto" by Rubén Olmo.

• "Arquitectura de luz y sombras" by Rubén Olmo.

 

"La Nueva Escuela Bolera," Paco Cruzado's first recorded and produced album, is undoubtedly a very important project for this musical genre, one of the treasures of our Spanish Dance with a strong Baroque character and great technical complexity, from the hands of this great guitarist, along with several singles dedicated to the musical genre and dance so important to Spanish music as is the Escuela Bolera. A genre declared a cultural asset of interest.  

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In his advancement with technologies, he has collaborated in the publication of two online guitar courses for beginners; one for the website "flamenco en tus manos," where he has worked with Faustino Núñez (professor of flamencology at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Córdoba), and another for "madera de flamenco" where he has worked with Juan Carlos Romero.

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Among his teaching projects, the flamenco singing accompaniment workshop is undoubtedly a didactic reference that was managed by the SGAE Foundation for Huelva, the Javier Perianes Professional Music Conservatory, and for Málaga, at the "La Térmica" cultural center.

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In 2013, he participated in the show "Con otra mirada" by the singer María Toledo, along with the Córdoba Orchestra under the direction of maestro Jesús Bola.

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In 2017, he participated in the show "Mairena Clásico," a production by Jesús Bola premiered at the Málaga Flamenco Biennial, along with artists José Valencia, Jesús Méndez, Farruquito, and the Málaga Symphony Orchestra.

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2019 was a very fruitful year in the career of the composer and guitarist, publishing his second record work entirely dedicated to flamenco themes "El alma en mis manos"

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In 2021, "Nuevas Músicas Boleras" was released, a record production entirely dedicated to the Escuela Bolera de danza, in addition to receiving the 2021 ALJARAQUEÑO TALENT AWARD, granted by the municipality of Aljaraque, Huelva.

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This same year 2022, he launched his collection "Bailes de Repertorio" which contains three volumes of music for Escuela Bolera dedicated to figures of Spanish dance.

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Since 2022, he has shared the stage with the singer Mayte Martín in the shows Deja Vu and Evocación.

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Currently, with over 20 years of experience as a teacher and a wide knowledge of teaching at the Municipal School of Music and Dance of Aljaraque (Huelva), Paco Cruzado takes on the direction of the school where he will perform the function of director along with those of flamenco guitar teacher and accompaniment to flamenco singing.