He first took up conducting while on military service in the Spanish Army before graduating from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich.

[4] As a youth, he continued violin studies, along with piano, and composition, at the conservatories of Bilbao and Madrid.

[4] He graduated summa cum laude from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich in conducting and won the Richard Strauss Prize.

[4] He subsequently took the professional surname Frühbeck de Burgos as his artist's name, to include the name of his birth city.

From 2001 to 2007, Frühbeck de Burgos was principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.

In January 2011, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Frühbeck de Burgos as the Creative Director of its Masterworks Series of concerts, starting with the 2011–12 season.

[12] In February 2011, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Frühbeck de Burgos as its principal conductor, as of the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of three years through 2015.

His work in contemporary music included conducting the world premiere production of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera Goya.