Guido de Groote
Guido De Groote was born in Cape Town, South Africa to a family of professional musicians. He studied with Jack De Wet at the University of Stellenbosch, and then with Simon Fischer on full scholarship at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He spent a number of years freelancing with British orchestras, in recording sessions and with alternative performing groups, until he became a permanent member of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Guido then decided to focus much more on teaching and community music development, and he has since been deeply involved in Sistema Scotland since 2010 as a teacher, orchestral leader & coach. He subsequently worked as a Senior Musician in team management and development in Big Noise Govanhill, with an added focus on building links and disabling barriers for young talent, to access the best possible opportunities for outstanding musical learning and excellence.
He has a dedicated interest in the long-term nurture and growth of young musicians, specifically focussed on violin pedagogy & body awareness, alleviation of performance anxiety, and mindset & resilience development. Guido is currently the Curriculum Leader for Strings at Sistema Scotland, and alongside a private teaching studio and freelance performing, also teaches at the School of Music & Juniors department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.