Assessment of music performance anxiety in a virtual auditorium through the study of ambient lighting and audience distance

Performance anxiety is a common problem affecting musicians’ concentration and well-being. Musicians frequently encounter greater challenges and emotional discomfort when performing in front of an audience. Recent research suggests an important relationship between the characteristics of the built environment and people’s well-being. In this study, we explore modifying the built environment to create spaces where musicians are less aware of the presence of the audience and can express themselves more comfortably. An experiment was conducted with 61 conservatory musicians playing their instrument in a virtual auditorium in front of an audience of hundreds of virtual humans. They performed at different distances from the audience and under different levels of ambient lighting, while their eye movements were recorded. These data, together with questionnaires, were used to analyse the way the environment is perceived. The results showed that reducing the light intensity above the audience made the view of the auditorium more calming, and the same effect was observed when the distance between the audience and the musician was increased. Eye-tracking data showed a significant reduction in saccadic eye movements as the distance from the audience increased. This work provides a novel approach to architecture influence on musicians’ experience during solo performances. The findings are useful to designers and researchers.