Meet “The Rock 4” Cisco’s Lisbon Office Band!

Does your office have a band? Ours does! Sergio, Luís, Nuno and Rui are “The Rock 4” – our Cisco Band in the Lisbon, Portugal office – and this quartet brings the magic of music to every event from iconic office celebrations to current day virtual sessions. 

It all started with a casual performance on Nation’s Day , a culture celebration where every employee is invited to bring a dish from their home country to the office. After came the Cisco Christmas party, and then the separate visits from our former CEO, John Chambers and current CEO, Chuck Robbins! Those are still two of the biggest celebrations our office has seen.

In the trying times of 2020, they’ve not forgotten their audience – and played during the Safe & Sound Series which virtually gathered talented Cisconians from the South theatre and was an overall tribute to Cisco Collaboration tools.

The Rock 4 all got their start in music at different points in their life, and for different reasons. But one thing is true for all of them – their passion can be felt by all when they come together to create music. 

At age 39, Sergio, a Collaboration and Security Architect, decided to learn how to play the guitar as part of his new year’s resolution. YouTube was his guide, and after a month of playing on a borrowed guitar – he purchased his first guitar and never looked back.  

Nuno, a Virtual Sales Specialist, started playing at 12. However, in his 30’s he decided to take music classes where he deepened his knowledge of composing and improvising. He calls these classes an “investment of a lifetime.” He also loves Brazilian beats and picks a Brazilian song from his playlist to play to his girlfriend every day – step aside Bublé! 

At the age of 8, Rui, an Install Base Analyst, asked his older sister to teach him some guitar basics and how to play Pink Floyd’s “Is Anybody Out There?”. There was no stopping Rui after that! From Duarte Costa Guitar School, he made it to Amateurs Classic Guitar Academy at the age of 12 and studied Musical Sciences in college. He joined his first band at 14 and collaborates with many bands today! Let´s not stop Mister Fahrenheit here, shall we?

And then there is Luis, a Virtual Partner Account Manager, who started playing the organ at the age of 12 before realizing the organ wasn’t very portable. He decided to buy his first real six-string and learned how to play “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” until his fingers bled. It was the summer of ´94, and there was no YouTube. He eventually made his way into vocals and performed in bars around the country for 20 years, until he made it to the “Cisconian Von Tech Family” singers – The Rock 4.  

Individually, they all have their own unique styles, skills, and talents. But together, they show us the true power (and beauty) of collaboration at Cisco! Not to mention, the importance of keeping our passions fueled. 

2020 has no doubt been a challenging year, but there is some good news on the horizon for The Rock 4. They will be making a massive debut on the Brands like Bands Festival on October 17th, 2020. This is a unique festival of corporate bands from around the world that is sponsored by the Portuguese national radio, Radio Commercial. The aim of this festival is to celebrate music while safely promoting companies that emphasize a collaboration culture – a perfect fit for these Cisconians!

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for our rock stars!

Do you know why the band is called The Rock 4? Leave your guess in the comments below!

1. Because they’re 4 Cisco employees who like rock and voilá! The name stuck!
2. Because they LOVE blue cheese, more precisely, Roquefort?
3. Because they´re big fans of Roxette (which sounds like Rock7 in portuguese) and as a tribute to Marie Fredriksson they decided to acknowledge themselves as “The Rock 4”. (It must have been love, definitely).

Ready to join our rockin’ teams? Apply now. 

Catch The Rock 4 at the Brands like Bands Festival Oct 17th at 9h30PM(BST) at radiocomercial.iol.pt

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