Evolution and Alarm Bells: Understanding the Roots of Performance Anxiety

Wellness at Eastman is a monthly seminar series from Eastman Performing Arts Medicine (EPAM) featuring artists and clinicians speaking to physical and mental wellness for performing artists, inspired by the Healthy Conservatoires movement in Europe. 

The next Wellness at Eastman seminar will be on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 6 p.m.: Evolution and Alarm Bells: Understanding the Roots of Performance Anxiety, presented by Craig Cypher, Psy.D., CMPC, a clinical and sports psychologist with UR medicine Orthopaedics and Physical Performance.

Dr. Cypher addresses the physiological and psychological underpinnings of performance anxiety and how performers can sharpen awareness and regulation skills to manage nerves and enhance performance.

Wellness at Eastman seminars are held monthly in Howard Hanson Hall (on the fourth floor of the Eastman School of Music main building) and on Zoom. To register for the Zoom link, click here. For more information, or to request accommodations, contact EPAM Program Manager Gaelen McCormick at gmccormick@esm.rochester.edu or (585) 274-1233. 

About the Presenter:

Dr. Craig Cypher is a Clinical and Sport Psychologist with UR Medicine Orthopaedics and Physical Performance. He is the only New York State Licensed Psychologist in the Greater Rochester area to also be recognized as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant®, as administered by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Dr. Cypher has over a decade of experience working as a psychologist with youth, high school, college, and professional athletes and their families. He is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he serves as a Sport Psychologist, heads up Performance Psychology within the department, and is the Lead of the Mindset Training program for UR Medicine Fitness Science, a multidisciplinary program for holistic athlete development. Dr. Cypher is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and is listed in the Sport Psychology Registry for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Dr. Cypher received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College, with a double major in psychology and English and received his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago.