I have made much of my living onstage for the past 40 years and have certainly done several thousand performances as a musician and conductor. As such, I have developed a sort of a routine that helps me get ready to perform. Right now, it is noon and I have a 7pm concert tonight and there is some deep part of my brain that is preparing for the evening’s performance. Humans prepare to perform in various ways. Some throw up in their dressing rooms, others go play golf and seem to have not a care in the world. For me it manifests itself as a slow drip of adrenaline into my system which feels like low-level anxiety. Outwardly I don’t think there is any observable effect but inside it makes me a little irritable and intense. The feeling is not pleasant, but I know it well enough to recognize it for what it is. Interestingly, the closer I get to actually walking onstage the calmer I feel and I usually even take a nap from 6-6:30 or so. Then I get up, do some stretching and other light activity to get my blood flowing and get dressed. I am fully aware that the opportunity to do this far exceeds my actual gifts so I offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for blessing me in this way. Then it’s showtime.
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