Talks & Masterclasses
Performance nerves and physical tension affect the vast majority of musicians, and both are still largely taboo within the profession; they are the thorny issues that can get in the way of free, enjoyable performance. These talks and masterclasses bring both topics into the open, offering insights, tools and strategies for transformation.
BBC RADIO 3 | BBC TV PROMS EXTRA | VERBIER FESTIVAL | YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC | SWEDISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | NORWEGIAN MUSIC ACADEMY | CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | YEHUDI MENUIN SCHOOL | LEEDS INTENATIONAL APIANO COMPETITION | BAPAM
TOPIC 1
Beyond Stage Fright: managing performance nerves
How to understand, manage and transform performance anxiety, before and during a performance. This talk addresses what is really happening when nerves take hold and offers a practical framework for working with anxiety rather than against it.
TOPIC 2
Body Awareness: tension, injury and physical freedom
How the relationship between the body and the instrument can shape everything. This talk explores what happens when physical tension leads to injury and offers practical tools for change.
“What a fascinating talk and masterclass! I love that you encourage our humanity in performing — it allows the music to become so much more alive.”
SINAE LEE
PIANO PROFESSOR - ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND
PART ONE - THE TALK
40–45 minutes
The talk explores the theme in depth, drawing on stories from work with students and professional performers. I want it to feel immediately relevant, something everyone in the room can connect to their own experience of playing or teaching.
There is time for questions afterwards.
PART TWO - THE MASTERCLASS
1 hour
The masterclass puts the ideas into practice. Three or four musicians each play a short extract and we work together in finding freer, more enjoyable ways of managing tricky performance situations.
Creating an emotionally safe space is central to how I work: performers feel supported rather than judged, and the audience is encouraged to be part of that too.
ONE OFF SESSIONS
Individual coaching
I also offer individual coaching sessions alongside the masterclass. In a short, focused session, a musician can bring a specific challenge they are facing and leave with some practical steps towards addressing it.
What musicians say
“Charlotte’s technique concentrates on the person and their individual strengths and weaknesses. By a gentle and unthreatening process, she coaxes remarkable changes in each subject’s performing skills.”
JOHN SHAYLOR
CHAIRMAN, EUROPEAN STRING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
“Charlotte has a natural and immediate connection with audiences and brings a professional understanding to a very human and shared experience - the performing musician.”
BENJAMIN WOODROFFE
SECRETARY GENERAL, WORLD FEDERATION OF INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITIONS
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