Biography
Paco Soto Águilas grew up in Tangier, Spain and decided he wanted to be a flamenco guitarist at the age of 9. He published his first album “Vida” in February 2017. A fresh album composed entirely by Paco, where teachers such as Jorge Pardo and Guadiana collaborate, as well as other promising young people like Sandra Carrasco. In September of 2019 he will release his new album, “Dos Mares.”
He has been awarded the Alcobendas Young Talents Award for the best guitarist in 2018 and the Flamenco in Ruta 2019 of the AIE. He has his own group “Paco Soto Sextet,” with which he has performed in cities such as New York, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam or Brussels, in emblematic venues such as the Institute Cervantes from NY or the Kölner Philarmonic, where he was headlining alongside artists such as Diego el Cigala. During his career he has collaborated with flamenco and jazz artists such as José Soto Sorderita, Duquende, Montse Cortés, Jorge Pardo, Josemi Carmona, Antonio Canales, Javier Colina, Chano Dominguez, Guadiana, and more.
He has participated in institutions such as “Ciudad de la Luz”, “Instituto Cervantes de New York” or “Columbia University”, where he has participated and taught flamenco courses and the relationship of Federico García Lorca with flamenco. He has worked for companies such as Clara Ramona Tour China 2015/16; where he toured all the cities of the Asian giant, or like that of Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández, in the USA. He is currently guitarist and musical director of Ballet Flamenco Español, where he has toured China, Italy, Switzerland and America and has composed the music of the show “Flamenco Live.” He has worked in tablaos such as Casapatas, Las Carboneras, Corral de la Morería or Cardamomo (Madrid), La Venta del Gallo, The Gardens of Zoraya, Le Chien Andalou (Granada), Alma de Flamenco (Fukuoka and Osaka), Alegrías la Nathional ( New York), or Jaleo and Peña Al-Andalous (Belgium).