Manny Laureano is the principal trumpet with the Minnesota Orchestra, the conductor of the Bloomington, MN Orchestra and the director of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.

Worst performance moment: Performance of a Shostakovich symphony. Things just didn't go well at all. Arnold Jacobs told him, "Welcome to the club. We all have days like that. You must learn to lie to yourself when you're not physically 100%."

The "I've Got This" moment: Performance of the Hummel concerto at Orchestra Hall. Everything felt sublime and the audience reaction was wonderful.

How Manny stays "in the zone": Make the second time the first time. Imagine if baseball had only one strike before they're out. How would it change the game?

The Hot Seat

It's 5 minutes before a performance. What are you doing? I am on stage with my horn in my hand, looking at the music and in my head going through virtually each and every lick. Remembering the things that were told to me in rehearsal, the subtle nuances, singing things, making sure I have rhythms. One has to presuppose I’ve already done all of the groundwork. What is necessary us for me to get into the mindset of what it is I’m about to do.

What’s the best performance-related advice you've ever received? Sing while you play.

Can you share one tip for our listeners to help deal with stage fright? (Physical, mental, etc.)Lots of practice. It sounds but simple, but repetition is the most important part of what we do. In the course of a week, we’re not going to be able to repeat a bunch of licks a thousands times. One has to assume you’ve done the kind of work previously, so that the lick is a variation of what you’ve already done thousands of times. If you play Petrouchka, you’ve already done everything in that excerpt many times in your practice over the course of many years. You must immerse yourself in the fundamentals, so that when you go to play in the concert, it’s just another repetition.Now, having said that, there are some times where your heart [rate] just will go off on its own. This is where the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals is such a wonderful thing. The drug we know as Inderol is something that can be of tremendous aid for musicians. It certainly has for me. Inderol doesn’t suddenly make you into the next Maurice Andre. It does however let you be you. If the best you has practiced and done all the things necessary to prepare for the performance, then you’re going to play to the top of your level. If you assume you can take a pill and sound like a genius, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. There was a time when people were appalled at the thought of “taking drugs” before a performance. That’s silly. It doesn’t stay in the bloodstream for that long, and if it allows you to perform well, then you can just continue to perform well.For folks who have occasional problems where they feel very prepared, but their adrenaline rush is to the point where they feel they can’t control it, then this is why we have inderol. Just to keep the adrenaline from ruling you. Some people are very laid back, others are high strung. For some, if it’s not inderol, they cope with the stress with alcohol. I personally see nothing wrong with allowing it to aid you, so long as you’ve done the necessary preparation for your performance.

This is the last question of the interview, but it’s a doozy. So get creative with it. Imagine you’re on stage. It’s the end of the performance and the audience is on its feet, applauding. They don’t want any more and they don’t want any less. Everything is perfect. What have you just done? I will tell you what you have just describe, a very significant and wonderful event in my life. David Zinman was one of the conductors who took the Minnesota Orchestra to Puerto Rico for a festival. On tap was Also Sprach Zarathustra. We’re playing in the hall, and the place is packed. I’m playing one of those legendary pieces of music where a trum...