The power flow and energy relationships between a cello, the stage supporting it, and the air in a reverberant room are experimentally investigated by measuring the power flowing into the cello from a shaker attached at the cello bridge, the power flow through the cello endpin into the stage, and the acoustic radiation from the cello and the stage. The objective of the study is to evaluate the significance of radiation from the stage relative to the radiation from the cello alone to determine the feasibility of enhancing the total radiated sound by altering the cello‐stage coupling and/or changing the stage radiation properties. Experimental techniques employed include direct measurement of power flow between the two structures and acoustic power measurements in13‐octave bands. Four different stage configurations are investigated including a concrete floor, simple unbaffled wooden panel, a baffled panel of the same dimensions, and a special soloist's podiu m which incorporates a sounding board connected to the podinto top by a sound post. [This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation.]