Karolina, a concert night at the Barbican

Concrete, brass and a concert grand: that is Karolina's idea of a good view. Tall and slim at 174 cm, she keeps her long black hair straight and sleek, and her brown eyes are steady enough to calm a flustered maître d'. She dresses in a minimal register, a black high-neck dress, a sharp coat, a single silver ring. The effect is precise rather than severe, and it softens the moment she smiles, which happens more often than her first impression suggests.

Poise and discretion come naturally. She is careful with what she says and very funny with it, the dry kind of wit that lands a second after you expect it. Her English is exact. She has played piano since childhood and still practises most days. Opera is the other passion, sung in any language, heard from a good seat. Given a free afternoon, she walks the City with her head tilted up, reading cornices and stairwells the way other people read a guidebook.

Her City evening is a concert at the Barbican Centre, the brutalist estate off Silk Street whose hall is home to the London Symphony Orchestra. She likes to arrive early and walk the lakeside terraces first, pointing out details most visitors miss. During the performance she is completely absorbed. At the interval she takes one glass of something cold and offers a view on the second half. Afterwards the high walkways are quiet, and a hotel near Moorgate or Bank is minutes away.

Weeknights suit her diary best. For a City of London concert, give the desk a few days so seats can be found, then confirm through booking once you have compared lengths on the rates page.