Juan Cruz Guevara was born in Macael (Almeria, Spain). He began his studies music at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique at the age of 15. He played trombone, piano, and composition under the tutelage of the composer Manuel Seco de Arpe, and later continued his studies at the Ecole Robert Schumann in Dusseldorf. In 1995, he began the next stage of his musical career as a composer.

He has had several commissions, among which we can highlight the Festival Alicante International, the International Festival of Young Orchestras of Murcia, Cátedra Manuel de Falla, Junta de Andalucía, Parlamento de Andalucía, Orchestra Ciudad de Granada, as well as, various soloists and ensembles, among which we can highlight Kairos Quarttet, grupo TAiMA, Taller Sonoro, Trío Dhamar, Grupo Enigma, NeoArs, Sonor Ensemble, Grupo Finale, Cámara XXI, etc. These works have been programmed at festivals such as the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical, Premio Piano de Jaén, Festival Internacional de Alicante, Festival Internacional de Jóvenes Orquestas de Murcia, Jornadas Contemporáneas de Granada y Sevilla, Festival Internacional de Spoleto (Italia), Centro Cérise (París), among others.

Of special note is the commission received for the composition of the work Music for Unos Juegos. in commemoration of the "Mediterranean Games 2005" and Senderos para la Memoria this work has was composed for the inauguration of the Museum of the Memory of Andalusia in Cajagranada. Among its prizes, the First Prize of the International Festival of Orchestras of Murcia is worthy of note. with Concerto for Marimba and The String Orchestra, created by percussionist Claudio Cascales, S.G.A.E. Prize for Young Composers awarded in four editions in the years 1998, 1999, 2001, 2006, the II Competition of Letters and Arts of the Institute of Studies of Almería, Prize of Composition Joaquín Rodrigo Composition 2009, 3rd Prize and Audience Award "ZEITklang", First Prize of the III Concorso Internazionale di Composiziones Parco San Rossore and Chamber Music Composition Award 'Salvador Seguí 2011', First Prize New Note of Croatia, for two people won the Cristobal Halffter Prize for organ composition in 2010 and 2013, among others. He has recently won the 2018 Reina Sofía Prize for Composition by Unanimity of the Jury, for its work Pictogramme, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, premiered by the Radio Television Orchestra Española.

His orchestral works have been programmed by the Orquesta Nacional de España, L'Orquesta de Radio Televisión Española, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta de Radio Televisión Española, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Orquesta Joven de Andalucía, Orquesta Ciudad de Almería, Orquesta Sinfónica de Murcia, etc. Seven CDs have been published with his chamber and orchestral works, but his first monograph 'Un Sueño' stands out, a sonic dream that includes some of his music for soloists and chamber music. His catalogue includes more than eighty works released.

He is currently a professor at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Granada and a professor in Master's Degree in Composition with New Technologies at the International University of La Rioja.