Penthesilea On Air #012: The three Pillars of an Artistic Identity | with Heidi Brandi
In this episode, we step again into a world where music, mental health, and medicine intersect – with special guest Heidi Brandi, musician, therapist, and founder of the Center for Professional Musicians in Hamburg. Heidi shares what inspired her to found the center in 2013, alongside Professors Hugo Schmale and Christian Kunert. Her main motivation was to create a space dedicated to the physical and psychological well-being of musicians – a crucial yet often-neglected aspect of professional artistic life, and one we aim to highlight regularly in this podcast.
With her background in piano and organ and extensive experience supporting classical and jazz musicians, Heidi discusses the ongoing challenges musicians face, such as performance anxiety, physical strain, and the unspoken taboos around mental health in the industry.
We explore the parallels she draws between performance music and competitive sports – including the pressure, recovery cycles, and institutional expectations. Heidi also reflects on whether musicians can regulate their own balance between productivity and rest – or whether larger structural changes in orchestras and conservatories are necessary.
Delving into her research on artistic identity, we unpack what this term truly means: its components, how it’s formed, and how it can be shaped, or even distorted, by external pressures, career expectations, and personal history.
The conversation also covers the role of artistic identity in auditions, how it can be used strategically, and whether adapting to specific orchestra cultures is a strength or a risk. Heidi explains how she works with young musicians and orchestral academies to prepare for these defining career moments – not just technically, but psychologically and emotionally.
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Website: www.penthesileaonair.com
Instagram: @karintbonelli @penthesilea.academy
produced by Eli Cardich and podcastly