Fall reflections...
- J. Dumitrascu
- Nov 13, 2025
- 2 min read
My last fall performances are wrapping up (including a repeat performance of my Providence recital since the original one was advertised at the wrong time on the venue site) and I’ll be spending the rest of November focusing on teaching, research work, and the annual radio recording work for the holidays at the end of the month. 🎶
The question that I get asked most often about performing:
“How do you stop being nervous?”
The simple answer is: I don’t. I don’t like to stop myself from feeling in general. It’s human nature to feel a wide range of emotions. Most often they’re circumstantial (but not always!). In the context of a performance, they’re a result of pressure. Pressure from within to perform well, but also outside pressure. Most often, though, outside pressure is more in our heads. It’s what we think people want to hear.
We want perfection, we want people to like what they hear, we want to not disappoint. We want perfection but art is not perfect. That’s not even the goal. Now, I’m not undermining the importance of practicing and achieving strong technique. One of the goals should be to achieve technical prowess to the point where it doesn’t get in the way of your musical interpretation.
But flawless performances don’t exist. We’re humans, we’re flawed, mistakes happen.
Performing requires vulnerability. It’s what helps us turn notes into a deep personal connection with the audience. Yes, it’s a risk, but the other option is to hide behind an emotional wall created by nerves/fear of rejection.
I was once told the famous quote: “In order to be brave, you have to be a little scared.”
Yes, I get nervous.
Yes, I question my (musical) decisions.
Yes, I’ve stepped on stage wondering if I’m good enough.
But knowing the emotional satisfaction of being vulnerable and able to connect with so many different people through music, I’ve always just taken a leap of faith and pushed ahead anyway.
And that’s the beauty of music and performing.
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