I can't speak about your case specifically, but for most of my anxiety patients I would prefer to use a beta-blocker like propranolol instead of ativan or any other benzodiazepine.
First-line treatment is often an SSRI or SNRI but they can take a while to have an effect (up to 6 to 8 weeks) and may not be warranted in situational/performance anxiety situations (there beta-blockers are a great first choice.)
Many primary care docs are pretty good at depression and anxiety, it never hurts to ask questions about why they think one treatment is better than another. After all, your doctor knows you and your history much better than a better than a bunch of randoms on the internet.