Pre-Concert Rituals: Rainer Eudeikis

Professional musicians often spend much of their lives on the road performing in concert venues around the globe. Amid the hectic travel schedules, rehearsals, practice time and adjustments to a different time zone, culture and climate, regular routine is sacrificed. We asked two of our principal musicians who have prominent solo roles to share what pre-concert rituals help keep them grounded.

The majority of my performances are as a member of the Utah Symphony, and as a result preparation for those concerts is mixed in with other elements of my daily life. On an average performance day, I sleep in as late as possible (depending on whether or not I have a morning rehearsal, or how early the dogs wake us up…), and spend the remainder of the day practicing, teaching/coaching, walking the dogs, and maybe even allowing time for some video games before getting ready to leave for the concert. 

This weekend’s concerts, however, are something entirely different as I’ll be sitting in front of the orchestra as a soloist…On days when I have a solo performance, I try to thin out my schedule so I can really take my time to warm up slowly and find a good place mentally during my practice. It’s easy to over-play on the day of a concert, being convinced that just a few more attempts at a difficult passage will make all the difference in performance, but I try to take it easy and trust all the work and preparation that came in the months before. 

Thanks to pre-concert jitters, I typically lose my appetite and I’ll barely eat all day, but I’m usually ready to feast by the end of the concert! 

 
Want to know more about what a cello does in an orchestra? Listen to Rainer’s explanation in this video: