Deborah Clifford, principal cor anglais

When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?

September 1992.

What do you enjoy most about being in the NSO?

Feeling lucky to have a job I love. 

What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing with the NSO?

Going to the gym, running, walking the dog, reading, socialising, NASA TV, Strictly Come Dancing.

If you weren't a musician what would you most like to be?

A teacher, preferably of secondary school history.

Do you have any pre-concert rituals or superstitions?

I use visualisation and deep breathing because I shake with nerves... If it’s a very difficult concert, chocolate helps!

You're stranded on a desert island. You're allowed 3 CDs and 1 book. What would they be, and why?

Snake Bite – How to treat a venomous snake bite at home (obviously). Now That’s What I Call Music 80s for when I’m jogging along the beach. Any Mozart CD for when it’s too hot to sleep... Any brass band CD to cancel out the sound of a storm.

Do If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be, and why?

Astronaut Peggy Whitson. I’m fascinated by the courage of men and women to become astronauts and travel into space. One of the first people from NASA to step foot on the moon since the Apollo landings will apparently be a woman.