Joanne Fleming Campbell, second violin - string sub-principal

When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?

January 1994.

Where did you study?

The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.

Why did you choose to play your instrument?

I was given the choice of an instrument in school after a musical aptitude test. It was a system used in Northern Ireland, through the Arts Council, to encourage children to play a musical instrument. I could choose a violin, viola or cello. I didn’t know what a viola was, the cello was too big to carry, so I chose the violin!

Who is your favourite composer and what is your favourite work?

I can’t pick one! I love Brahms, Puccini, Prokofiev and Mahler. One of my favourite works is Madama Butterfly.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?

I love painting. I went back to art classes; I studied art at school and I missed it. I also like walking on the beach and baking or cooking with my children.

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

A doctor.

What is your greatest achievement – musical or general?

Winning a scholarship to go and study music in New Hampshire for four months.

Do you have any pre-concert rituals or superstitions?

I always bring a tissue and a cough sweet onto stage. 

Who is your musical idol?

Queen’s Freddy Mercury

Do you have any secret talents?

I’m a qualified scuba diver and have a specialty in wreck diving.

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

Frank Sinatra – I love all the old big band stuff; Queen – I would have something to sing along to; Madama Butterfly to tug on the heartstrings.

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

David Attenborough. I love his programmes.