A fascinating article has appeared in science daily, on an experiment conducted in Vienna to measure stress levels within orchestras. Samples were taken from musicians at rest, in rehearsal and in performance. The results are quite surprising to me. Read on…
Dec. 30, 2013 — Even professional orchestra musicians suffer from particular stress on the day of the concert and release more cortisol. For the first time it has now been possible to demonstrate that, amongst others, the enzyme myeloperoxidase, which is regarded as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, plays a part in the stress reaction in musicians. This effect is however dampened by an emotional factor: this is because a good mood reduces the stress-induced release of myeloperoxidase.