As the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) & Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles (QCSYE) begin an exciting new season, Music Director Hisham Bravo Groover sat down with Kevin Sells, Youth Ensembles Coordinator & Development Associate, to reflect on his first year leading the ensembles.
In their conversation, Hisham shares highlights from a season filled with diverse music-making experiences, including a powerful performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. He also talks about the unique challenges of conducting movie concerts, the joy of working with young musicians, and his excitement for the upcoming tour to Spain and Portugal in June 2026.
Watch the video or read on for the full transcript of their chat:
TRANSCRIPT:
Kevin Sells 0:03
We are here with Mr. Groover, the music director of the Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles. You just finished your first season. Can you tell us a little bit about this first year and what it’s like moving to the Quad Cities?
Hisham Bravo Groover 0:17
It was an incredible year, really a varied year in terms of music making, from working with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and [Quad City Bank & Trust] Riverfront Pops and all the movie concerts to also working with the youth ensembles, both Youth Philharmonic and Youth Symphony Orchestra. It was such a pleasure to meet the new families and really friends of the youth ensembles, we had a great year making music, and, I mean, it was just awesome.
Kevin Sells 0:49
Do you have any favorite memories from this last season?
Hisham Bravo Groover 0:53
My favorite memories, or most recent memory, which was back in May, when we performed the entire Fourth Symphony by Tchaikovsky at the Bartlett Center for Performing Arts. That was pretty cool.
Kevin Sells 1:04
Yeah, that was a really cool concert for everyone. So we’re coming into Season Two. What are you looking forward to most?
Hisham Bravo Groover 1:11
Easy answer, Spain and Portugal in June 2026 were headed off with the Youth Symphony to perform three concerts, to eat a ton of great food, walk through the streets, just explore some wonderful cultures. It’s going to be great.
Kevin Sells 1:11
So I have to ask, you get the privilege as assistant conductor for the QCSO to do movie concerts. And I wanted to ask, how, do you prepare for those, how are those different than conducting masterworks?
Hisham Bravo Groover 1:43
Well, they do share similarities in terms of, you know, learning music at the core of what we do, but the added complexity of having to follow both visual and auditory signals from a monitor that’s in front of me that will really help me keep the orchestra completely synchronized with the film or the video games concert that we had back in May. So it’s it’s a lot like any other concert, but it has that extra challenge of synchronicity.
Kevin Sells 2:17
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. We’ve really enjoyed having you for this year. We can’t wait for seasons to come.
Hisham Bravo Groover 2:26
I can’t wait either. Thanks so much, Kevin.
Beyond the Music: sharing the heartbeat behind the harmony
Beyond the Music: Sharing the Heartbeat behind the Harmony takes you behind the scenes of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra to meet the musicians, staff, and community members who bring the music to life.
Through candid conversations and personal stories, this series explores the passion, people, and purpose that drive every performance, giving you a deeper connection to the symphony and the harmony it creates both on and off the stage.