Ida Levin, now deceased, was a magnificent violinist. She and Rudolf Serkin were to perform at a recital at the White House before President Reagan. Rudy had a terrible case of stage fright, which was one of his characteristics. Before the concert, Reagan came up to Ida backstage. Recognizing that Rudy had issues, he cleverly engaged in conversation with Ida. Her father was a judge on the California Superior Court, and Reagan knew him well. Ida and Ron got Rudy calmed down enough to perform at the top of his form.
I was scared silly for my first recital. Got better each year after. Still never liked it. Someone told me the potassium in bananas calms the nerves.
I played for an hour tonight at the family Christmas gathering. Was fun.
Cheers