Opinion
TOUCHING A NERVE
Although nervous energy can lead to inspired playing, it can also result in performance anxiety – unless we find ways to control it, writes cellist
Laura van der Heijden
P
erformance anxiety has been on my mind for many years. I find it both a fascinating topic and a very real issue that I must tackle myself. It regularly comes up in conversations with other musicians and so often is approached with embarrassment, fear and shame. Artists worry that being open about their anxieties will ruin the illusion of effortlessness in performance, and may even threaten their employability. Performance anxiety is personal and different for each artist. Nerves are a natural reaction to being in what is objectively quite a stressful situation, and can also be an important positive force.