Born in France of Spanish Republican parents, Rafael Andia first studied the violin but was attracted by the musical tradition of his family - flamenco. The flamenco that he then practiced yielded to the classical guitar, but his love of the guitar remained firmly fixed under that first influence.

In recent years he has also been interested in writing, and true to his origins, the style falls between the traditional flamenco guitar, classical music and contemporary classical. His first recording Canciones Flamencas Antiguas (1996) is now on the agenda of many guitar duos. On this release he is joined by the prize winning young female guitarist Claire Sananikone.