Jane Nossek has been playing violin with Royal Northern Sinfonia for nearly 20 years, and she still loves every minute.

She’s especially fond of chamber music, but if she had to pick one piece everyone should hear, it would be the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, because it “packs a punch”.

When she’s not performing, you might find her pottering in the garden, coffee in hand. Her favourite spot in the North East is Alnmouth and the sea. “I grew up inland, so seaside trips were rare – the idea that it’s now just a short drive away still feels a bit magical.”

Originally from a suburb of London, Jane was lucky to be a regular prommer during the school holidays. “A group of us would spend hours queuing, trying to get near the front and occasionally made it in. I remember seeing the small but mighty Ida Haendel up close and, rather embarrassingly, getting the giggles during a choral piece by Ligeti.”

She first performed at BBC Proms when she was just 14, playing Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with the National Youth Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle. “The performance was overwhelming as I had never played such an emotionally charged 90-minute-long piece before. The work features two devastating hammer blows, which, at this concert, involved some staging dropping on the platform. It was a truly fatalistic sound in the enormous Royal Albert Hall – mind-blowing!”

Now, Jane is performing in the Proms once again, this time on home turf. Since 2022, the BBC Proms have made their way from London to The Glasshouse every summer, and for Jane and the orchestra, it’s something special. “Having the Proms in Gateshead really matters. It brings a buzz to the building and shows off how brilliant the space is. The acoustics are amazing – and given that Gateshead is about halfway between Inverness and London, it feels like a fitting northern home for the world’s biggest classical music festival.”

Each year, different moments stand out for our players. For Jane, it was a concert she listened to rather than played in. “My highlight from last year’s Prom was listening to six of my wonderful colleagues playing Strauss’ Capriccio for the radio show Night Tracks.”

If she could choose one piece to perform at the Proms, it would be Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta. “From the first note, there’s a sense of pride through the music, which feels like it’s marching forward with purpose. Sinfonietta is my favourite large-scale work, perfect for a big Prom. All those trumpets!”

On Saturday 26 July, Jane will make even more memories at BBC Proms. She’s joined by Music Director Dinis Sousa, Royal Northern Sinfonia and a massed choir of voices and soloists for Mendelssohn’s powerful Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise). Also on the bill, pianist David Fray will perform Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D minor.