Born in Cuba, Manuel Barrueco began his studies at the age of eight at the Esteban Salas Conservatory. In 1967 he emigrated with his family to the US, continuing his studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland.
He has performed in major concert halls such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Palau de la Música in Barcelona.
He is a resident artist at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico and the University of Alicante in Spain. His recording of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Plácido Domingo (EMI Classics, 1997) was voted as the best ever recording of the work by Classic CD magazine.