I'm not sure I entirely agree: curiosity and discovery can be very enjoyable; which means it is more about openness -- personally I over analyze when I am contracted and anxious, which figures.

The question is still there: how do you maintain openness in a high-stake situation? When you play an instrument in front of a large audience, without enough practice it's hard to be open because all your attention will be directed to get things correct. With enough practice, your muscle memory will handle the basics, upon which openness/enjoyment can be built.

I think a person who overthinks does it regardless of the stakes. Focus is very closely related to not getting interrupted by your own thoughts. I agree with you that you need to have the skill to be able to perform well, but I'm suggesting that even in a low-stake one, one who can't focus won't focus, be it overthinking or distractions.

I learned this from this brain exercise game, Peak. I started leveling up like crazy when I stopped thinking and speaking to myself and let my brain do what it does best, which learning.

If you’re playing an instrument in front of an audience, performance anxiety will usually make things much worse than if you had practiced in private.

Yes, and repeated practice at performing _in front of an audience_ will gradually reduce that anxiety for most people. Getting to that state where you can be up in front of a lot of people and just enjoying yourself making music is a wonderful feeling, and for most of us it takes a lot of hard work over many years.

In my personal experience, both with musical performance and public speaking, the #1 thing that makes a difference in terms of how nervous I am during the performance is how well I know the material. The more I can "shut off my brain" and let rote memory handle the basics (correctness), the more room I have to take it further with nuance, dramatic arc, etc.

Y that was my exact thought. You need enough practice (private or public) to achieve the state where you can let your muscle memories to handle the basics.

YMMV; many musicians feed off an audience's energy and thus get more fully and deeply into the moment. Which is what all of this is about -- being 100% in the NOW and not in your conscious mind's memories (past) or anxieties (future).

also elite athletes who play "out of their minds" when everything's on the line, eg star basketball players whose 4th quarter shooting % in playoff games is higher than at any practice

Wonder how much is this related to meditation and mindfulness. Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Byrant meditate a lot:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/michael-jordan-kobe-bryants-me...

https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/productivity...