演奏(yǎn zòu) - to perform music, to play an instrument in Mandarin

演奏 (yǎn zòu) is playing music in front of people, on an instrument. It is the word for a concert, a recital or a band on a stage, and it carries a note of formality that the everyday verbs do not.

It takes either the music or the instrument as its object: 演奏一首曲子 is to perform a piece, 演奏钢琴 is to play the piano. The noun form is the same characters, so 他的演奏很好 means his playing is very good.

Two traps for English speakers. First, 演奏 is instrumental only, so singing is 唱 or 演唱, never 演奏. Second, it means play as in perform, not play as in have fun, which is 玩. Say 我喜欢演奏吉他 for a stage and 我在弹吉他 for the sofa.