Have you ever wondered...how to develop true confidence in yourself and your abilities amidst setbacks? What the right mindset is for auditions? How much of your expressive playing should be planned out, and how much is instinct? How to recover from very direct, critical audition feedback? And how do you stay in the present moment, instead of stressing out about nerves and all the bad things that could happen when you’re on stage?

If you’ve ever struggled with questions like this, I think you’ll find helpful answers in today’s episode with violinist Nathan Cole - who was recently appointed concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Nathan shares insights, details, and lessons learned from his 20-year concertmaster audition journey, and also demonstrates an exercise (using an excerpt from Brahms’s 4th Symphony) that will help you form clearer musical intentions and play more expressively no matter what music you’re working on - especially in passages where you’re not quite sure what to do.

Get a transcript, show notes, and all the other nerdy details at:
Nathan Cole: Lessons From 20 Years of Concertmaster Auditions

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You can connect with Nathan and get tons more insights, tips, and technical advice at:

Web: natesviolin.com

Nathan will also be teaching a live, 4-day, guided (and free) practice workshop on the Scheherazade solos from September 19-22, 2024 (at 4pm Eastern). Whether you’re aspiring to take concertmaster auditions yourself, or simply want to learn some of Nathan practice techniques and strategies for better intonation, sound, and expressive clarity that you can apply to other music that you’re working on, this will be a great way to jumpstart your fall practice with some new tools.

You can also study with Nathan through his online group learning program - Daily Virtuoso - where each quarter, he leads an in-depth study of a new set of masterworks from the repertoire. You’ll learn how to approach both the technical and musical challenges in each piece through live calls, practice assignments, and video lessons, alongside a supportive community of fellow learners.

Join Daily Virtuoso: https://natesviolin.com/daily-virtuoso/

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Want to perform up to your full abilities more consistently? Learn how with evidence-based strategies that will accelerate your learning, help you manage nerves, focus, and play more confidently.

Check out the live online mental skills “Essentials” course which begins July 22nd, 2025: bulletproofmusician.com/essentials

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