Befriending Performance Anxiety by Dr. Xenia Pestova Bennett

by H. Murray. Published on May 14th, 2022.

Befriending Performance Anxiety: Practical Tips for Performers of All Levels by Dr. Xenia Pestova Bennett

If you aren’t familiar with Xenia’s work already, I strongly encourage you to check out the article she wrote for corpSonore last fall, titled “Functional Breathing for Musicians.” She is a wealth of support and insight into making your body and nerves an asset to improved performance rather than a limiting factor. In this book, she offers advice, anecdotal stories (even an opportunity to visualize an adult beverage), strategies for success, and additional resources to help you befriend all aspects of performance anxiety and stage fright. Xenia draws on a diverse array of resources from Qi Gong to Yoga, Meditation, practice methods, and more to offer you a fully supportive buffet of opportunities to strengthen your skills and feel empowered on stage. She welcomes the notion of improvisation even for those performing classical concerts and feeling confident and secure in unpredictable spaces and environments. This book is not very long and is an easy read that offers opportunities for self-reflection and exploration more than text on the page.

 I recommend this book to all of my performing colleagues. It is such a valuable guidebook to keep on hand for tricky or tense situations. You can purchase a signed copy directly on her website (currently only available for those living in the UK and EU) via Xenia’s website,  https://xeniapestovabennett.com. For those around the world, you can purchase both the ebook version or a hard copy via Amazon .