I'm always amazed that in performing music, we are communicating non-verbally. We turn sound into musical ideas that can evoke feelings. We strive to express the music clearly and honestly to an audience of listeners. Having prepared a piece of music, you now have to switch gears and let it flow. If you are performing with a pianist or anyone else, you are collaborating. It's not just you with a "back-up band". You are in communion with the other musicians.
"There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so"
- Hamlet, William Shakespeare
- When you are performing, as soon as you try to be perfect, you will mess up.
- When you are performing, you are not striving for perfection. That's what practicing is for! Beethoven said, "to play a wrong note is insignificant".
- It should go without saying that you must prepare the music that you are going to perform. You must learn it inside out. Try to study it from many different angles. You must know what the pianist or other instruments are playing by rehearsing with them and listening to recordings.
Nervousness when performing is a fascinating topic. The only things you may attempt to control in a performance are breathing, releasing muscle tension and choosing what to focus on. You have to have a "let's see what happens" attitude rather than, "I want to do this perfectly" attitude. If you make a "mistake" or hit a note out of tune, focus on the current or next phrase. You have to know that something will go wrong. I know a pastor who tells all the couples who want to marry, "something is going to go wrong on your wedding day". They get agitated and say, "what do you mean?" What he wants them to understand is that they can enjoy the day even though it will not be perfect. Something, however small and probably what you least expect, will go wrong. No performance is perfect. The violinist, Kato Havas said to her students who were about to perform, "do not play well!" She is known for helping students with stage fright which is also called performance anxiety.
Here's a great article to help you understand stage fright and how it relates to having a fruitful performance: Miranda Wilson
I try to make recitals as informal as possible. Talking a bit about the composer or the mood or style of the music helps to relax everyone and the audience is more likely to listen better.