Presence and performance
Being heard is a skill, and it can be taught. Craig has spent thirty years on stages and in front of rooms, and has walked hundreds of people through the minute before they step out. These sessions are about how you stand, breathe, speak and hold a room, whether or not you ever sing a note.
Craig Ralston coaches performance and presence in Utrecht, for singers, actors, speakers and anyone who has to be looked at.
Last updated: August 2026
Who is this coaching for?
Singers and musicians, actors and speakers, and anyone who dreads being seen.
**Singers and musicians.** You can play the piece. Now you have to play it while people watch. Preparation for auditions, recitals and exams, with someone who sits on the juries.
**Actors and speakers.** Breath, projection, pace, and the musicality of a spoken line. Craig also teaches singing for the actor, so both sides of the voice sit with one teacher.
**Anyone who dreads being seen.** Presentations, interviews, a speech at a wedding. No performing background needed. Most of what helps a soloist helps anyone who has to be looked at.
What does a session look like?
You bring the real thing, the piece or the pitch or the speech, and do it in the room. Then you do it again, better.
Craig works from what he actually hears and sees rather than from a method: where the breath goes, where the tension sits, what your eyes do, where the energy drops.
The corrections are small and specific, and you leave with two or three of them to practise, not a philosophy.
What if I get too nervous to perform?
Nerves are technique, not character. Almost nobody is calm before they perform; the difference is what they do with it.
A good deal of this work is practical: breathing, pacing, where to put your attention in the first ten seconds. All of it is learnable, whatever you have been told about yourself.
How are sessions arranged, and what do they cost?
Single 60-minute sessions at €50, or a short series leading up to a date in the diary. The first conversation is free.
A series works well when there is something specific coming: an audition, an opening night, a keynote. Sessions run in the studio in Utrecht Oost, or online if that is easier.
Also at the studio
Coaching sits alongside the regular lessons:
Piano lessons
Classical, pop or jazz, for beginners and advanced players. From your first chord to exams and auditions.
piano lessons in Utrecht →Voice lessons
Vocal technique, repertoire and performance. Including singing for the actor, a specialty you won't find anywhere else in Utrecht.
voice lessons in Utrecht →Music theory & composition
From reading music to harmony and writing your own pieces, taught by a composer with a doctorate in the subject.
music theory and composition lessons in Utrecht →Online lessons
The same hour of undivided attention, at your own instrument, wherever you are. Any time zone, same rates.
online piano and voice lessons →Frequently asked questions about performance coaching
Do I need to be a musician?
No. Plenty of people come with a presentation, an interview or a wedding speech rather than a piece of music. Most of what helps a soloist helps anyone who has to be looked at.
How much does a session cost?
A 60-minute session is €50, the same as an hour lesson. The first conversation is free, so you can decide whether it is worth continuing.
Can you help me prepare for a specific audition?
Yes, and that is one of the most common reasons people come. Craig judges international competitions, so he can tell you what a panel actually listens for.
Can sessions happen online?
Yes. Presence work translates well to video, since so much of it is breath, pacing and attention. In-person is better for anything involving how you move in a room.
Is this therapy for stage fright?
No, and it is worth being clear about that. This is practical performance training: breathing, pacing, preparation and rehearsal. It is not psychological treatment, and Craig will say so if something falls outside what coaching can help with.
The first lesson is free
Come by, play or sing something you love, and tell me where you'd like to go. Then decide if it's the right fit for you.
or use the contact form · Replies usually within a day.