Bin Liu
ABSTRACT Music performance anxiety (MPA) is one of the prevalent issues for musicians' socio‐emotional well‐being. However, research is scarce on how different psychological aspects influence novice musicians' MPA. Following Folkman's cognitive appraisal theory, this study examines how audience reaction influences MPA, with the mediating role of music performing conditions (MPCs) and the moderating role of their mental health (MH) in live performances in the Chinese context. The research design of the current quantitative study was a cross‐sectional survey. Data were collected from 270 final‐year music students in Beijing using a questionnaire. The participants (novice musicians) were recruited using a simple random sampling technique. The regression results revealed that audience reaction strongly predicts MPA ( R 2 = 0.91); MPCs had a weak and non‐significant mediating effect ( B = 0.06, p = 0.056), while their MH had a significant direct effect with no moderating role. These findings suggest that audience‐related factors are more critical than contextual conditions. The study highlights the need for training programmes to help novice musicians manage audience pressure and improve psychological readiness.