Musical Performance and Biomedical Human Enhancement: Ethnographic Perspectives on Bioethical Questions

This article explores the use of biomedical human enhancement in the field of musical performance, focusing on the role of beta-blocking drugs, which have been used by classical musicians since the 1970s to control the symptoms of performance anxiety, primarily in high-stakes auditions. Insights gained from in-depth, structured, ethnographic interviews with professional classical musicians suggest that, unlike professional athletic communities (in which the use of beta-blocking drugs to control performance anxiety is often banned), classical musicians often view the use of beta-blocking drugs as a legitimate form of therapy or as a training tool. Although dominant bioethical frameworks for understanding human enhancement focus on values of autonomy, hard work, fairness, and justice, these values were largely absent from the way musicians conceived of beta-blocker use in their community. At a time when the use of beta-blocking drugs to control performance anxiety is spreading to job interviews, examining the impact of beta-blocker use in the field of classical music offers a real-world case study that shows how cultural values within individual communities shape ethical questions involving biomedical human enhancements.