Have you ever sung for an audience formally?--that is, not spontaneously and unrehearsed.

I don’t sing but I have played guitar for small crowds at clubs in a band. I felt nervous at first, but exactly two beers loosened me up enough to get over it and play “normal” and not anxious and restrained. Been a long time since I played in one formally.

Choir in church when I was in my young teens and another time in my high school music class where my teacher attempted to embarrass me and I sang the song part of the solo perfectly. So perfect that he wanted me to join his choir that sang every Sunday on the radio from the Empire State Building but I turned him down because I couldn’t stand him and it would mean missing work for practice after school every day. He made me sing solo that day because I stood up against him when he picked on a friend of mine who sang beautifully but was shy. So he told me to do her bit with a smug look on his face and was floored when I did it extremely well. Unknown to him I was only able to do it because I was pissed off with him. So pissed off that I forgot I hate singing in public alone. I would also get shy and choke up. I could do choir but only because I felt my voice could blend in.

In church choir, the nun who was our solo singer and leader was leaving, and out of the blue, she announced I would take her place. I told her I couldn’t because I was leaving choir. I was petrified of singing solo and choking up. Our church was a pretty good size. We probably easily sat 300 and the class was a big class of a combo of maybe two class sizes, so about 40 to 60 students.

Starting singing in 3rd grade chorus, church choir. High school played in rock and roll band also folk music. While in college played in rock band that played regularly in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island; played two times in New Hampshire. Harmony tenor and bass.

Only church and school choirs.
I was berated by my sister, and stopped trying to.

Yes, in college I was in the **** University Chorus. We had several concerts each year open to the university community, and we sang at various Masses (Christmas, Easter, and so on).

In addition I was part of a 4-person madrigal group (imagine a 6 ft 3 inch guy in brown tights and a cape!) and we sang impromptu concerts on campus. I was a bass.

Yes. I’m in a band. We sing in front of audiences regularly. How do I feel about it? It depends on how much they tip! :-)

I’ve been singing all my life, as well as playing various instruments. I was in school and church choir and choral groups as well as band and other ensembles. I also participated in college and community theater, in such musicals as The Fantasticks, South Pacific, 1776, and Fiddler on the Roof, to name a few.
Up until my late twenties I considered myself a skilled amateur. That changed when I found myself broke and homeless in New Orleans. I found myself on a street corner in the French Quarter with a borrowed guitar, and made enough in one evening to get something to eat and a room.

I pursued music as a career for the next decade or so; I consider it artistically successful, but not so much financially.

I haven’t performed in a professional setting in many years. My artistic energy has recently been in the area of teaching and composition.

Most of my solo experience, which is not that much, was through the church choir, although I did take two semesters of voice and for our final we had to stand on stage and saying three songs from memory. Yikes!

My voice is not what it used to be between some breathing issues and medication that dries my voice out quickly, so I wouldn’t do a solo anymore, but even when I did, I got super nervous before I had to get up and sing so it was a constant battle to do well while fighting the nervousness.

@filmfann I’m sorry to hear that you let her discourage you! You wouldn’t know how many people avoid singing in a group because family members discourage them.

Church choir and the choir in reform school – we’d go to nursing homes, etc. I love singing but only in groups, unless I’m at home, of course.

So @Jeruba, are you planning on it? have done it?

God no. I would rather die.

Yes. Ear Training Class at Berklee. A weekly occurrence during the class to professor and rest of class. It gets easier and you build more confidence each time you do it.

I think maybe I sang a little in a sixth grade production of Oliver, but mostly I was a background dancer in that musical. That would be the extent of my singing in front of an audience if I even did it.

Oh I’m in a ukulele group at the senior center, we play and sing nursing homes and last November played a the city’s festival (53,000 attendees two day event).

During Greek Week in college, fraternities and sororities would put on acts and skits. One year we did a parody of Fiddler on the Roof. I sang a duet in front of 500 people, a parody of “Matchmaker”:

“Big brother big brother, get me a date…”

My terrible voice made it funnier.

Only in Church have I sung solos. All other singing has been choirs, ensembles and a folk group when teenager.

I have and I don’t enjoy it. My knees knock and my throat closes. After 2–3 drinks I may relax enough to feel and sound good.

Ha! I just remembered I was in my church’s “Up With People”! That was fun and I loved the music. Still remember the main song. Saw the original, too. Anyone else remember it?

I spent years taking chorus and vocal lessons. I can’t remember how many times I’ve sung in such a fashion.