Did Orpheus have stage fright? To oneself, to the other, to the transcendent: steps for coping with music performance anxiety
Natalija Šimunovič
Frontiers in Psychology December 17, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1706198 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Performing arts Musical Consciousness Analogy Coping psychology Dance Empirical research Cognitive psychology Aesthetics Classical music Demonstrative Creativity Empirical evidence Magic telescope Cognitive science |
| Key points | Argues that the Orpheus myth functions as an archetypal model for the conflict between artistic intention and the performer's inner tension, a conflict partly captured by stage fright and music performance anxiety (MPA). Notes that empirical research often associates MPA with impaired stage performance. |
Abstract
Orpheus, as an archetypal model of musical performance, enters our cultural consciousness not only as an exemplary performer but also as a figure whose fleeting glance into the visible shattered the magic of creation. Through this metaphor, for three millennia we have (re)interpreted the deeper projection of the conflict between the artistic idea and the performer's inner tension (Partridge, 2014;Blanchot, 1981). The performer's inner tension is partly framed by the constructs of stage fright (Steptoe, 1989) and music performance anxiety (MPA) (Kenny, 2011), which empirical research often links to impaired stage performance (Chan, 2011).
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm General population | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Learning to Let Go: A Cognitive-Behavioral Model of How Psychedelic Therapy Promotes Acceptance | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Taking Psychedelics Seriously | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How could MDMA (ecstasy) help anxiety disorders? A neurobiological rationale | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Embedding existential psychology within psychedelic science: reduced death anxiety as a mediator of the therapeutic effects of psychedelics | 2019 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- Meditation as a tool to counteract music performance anxiety from the experts’ perspective Psychology of Music March 29, 2023
- Meditating musicians: investigating the experience of music students and professional musicians in a brief mindfulness course to address music performance anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology 2025