A follow up to a Tip of the Month about stage presence...
I have great respect for anyone with the courage to get up in front of an audience. No matter the level of accomplishment, live performance is an act of self-sacrifice. Fortunately, the payoff is it builds character. I'd like to share some thoughts on how to streamline your stage presence and appear like a professional…
When you play, your sound is released from your instrument and floats like a spirit into the hearts and minds of your listeners. But it's not that simple, as visual cues are also vital to performing - for better or worse. Reaching your potential as a performer also requires awareness and effective control of body language.
It all starts the moment you walk on stage. Enter with purpose, like you are eager to be there, and make eye contact with your audience. Smiling is appropriate, but if the music you're about to play is somber in nature you might be more reserved with that. Take a bow immediately while the audience is clapping, before getting yourself situated on stage (like moving stools or music stands into position). Acknowledge your accompanist.
Bass players sometimes lose the attention of their audience with a lengthy tuning process. Avoid this by taking the "A" from the piano prior to the concert (preferably, with an electronic tuner) and tune before you go on stage. A quick check on stage is permissible, but it should be subtle and brief. Likewise, when tuning in the orchestra, tune beforehand so that only a quick check is required when the tutti "A" is sounded.
Do not put your bow above the string too soon, otherwise, it can look like a false start or a Suzuki violin exercise. Just before you play, position your bow over the string and breathe a preparatory beat while indicating it with the bow - then make your entrance(kind of like conducting yourself). It should imply the character of the music.
Wandering eyes are a big distraction, as are excessive facial motions (particularly of the mouth). Conversely, a face totally devoid of expression can sometimes come across as bizarre, like a zombie. If you are playing music of intense sadness (for instance, Koussevitsky's Chanson Triste), your audience will not be convinced if you look like you are trying to recall whether you fed the cat that morning.
Music should never look difficult to play, and it's sometimes necessary to practice the illusion of "easy", even when it's not. This also applies to orchestral excerpts at an audition. Do the necessary slow technical work on a passage, but as soon as you can, practice it in tempo with the appropriate abandon. Don't let your audience see you sweat.
That reminds me of a performance I did a few years ago where I couldn't uphold that rule. It was in a small, very hot room - about 98 degrees. The audience was seated close and I was sweating profusely, dripping down my glasses and onto my bass. My listeners were likely thinking about how I needed a shower, though I think they themselves were sympathetically clammy. Perhaps I should have distributed umbrellas to people in the front row!
The performance stage is also not the place to do your yoga routine. Stretches of the neck, jaw, arms, or waist should be done at home or in a backstage room. This goes for orchestra as well as solo playing. Imagine a cello section of bobbling heads - it would look downright scary, an idea reserved for a Halloween pops concert!
Feeling a little stinted with how you're interpreting a piece? Try swaying a bit more with the music. With a work like Vanhal's Concerto, it might help you to feel the lightness and direction of the phrases and get you "outside of yourself". Make time in a practice session to experiment with body motion. Most students don't commit themselves enough to this. Even if you overdo it at first, when you tone down the choreography, I'm sure you'll retain some musical insight from having loosened up your joints.
As for "hamming it up" on stage, don't do it unless the music calls for it - it's tacky and your audience will see right through it. Some friends and I recently attended a concert of a very talented, B-level pianist. He played well, but he had a habit of throwing his head down for emphasis with every forte chord. I really thought the guy should have chronic neck pain. My friends (who are not musicians) all made comments afterward about how annoying it was. Such amateurish habits could very well hamper a career. I felt the urge to speak to him about it, but thought better of it. I'm quite sure that I would not have been the first to broach the subject…
A word about words…Sometimes, performers are expected to speak to their audience. If you are so compelled, keep it short and to the point. Don't overestimate your "gift of gab". If you appear to lecture the audience or your jokes don't go over, you'll start your performance with a deficit. Better to refrain entirely…
Growing into a dynamic performer with polished stage decorum requires a significant amount of concert experience - a seasoning acquired over time. I've offered some food for thought which is perhaps best consumed with patience. In practice and performance, have the goal of being uninhibited musically, yet aware of all physical signals you might telegraph. It will help you to cast a more perfect spell over your audience.
