Rebecca Herman

Rebecca Herman is a Doctoral Researcher at the Royal College of Music (RCM), affiliated with the Centre for Performance Science. Her research focuses on mindfulness training’s impact on music performance anxiety, supervised by Prof. Rosie Perkins, Dr. Terry Clark, and Prof. Margaret Osborne. After a career as a cellist with groups like the Castalian Quartet and orchestras such as the Philharmonia, she transitioned to academia due to severe stage fright. She completed an MSc in Performance Science (AHRC-funded) and now holds an LAHP studentship. Her work bridges clinical psychology and music performance, with presentations at conferences in Aarhus and Warsaw. Alongside research, she performs with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia, while conducting autoethnographic studies on mindfulness and performance. She also delivers workshops for young musicians through initiatives like the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Junior Artists’ scheme.