Jon Jacob has been focussing on the wrong thing

Editor's note: we sent Prommer and roving Radio 3 correspondent Jon Jacob to cover Prom 26 on Tuesday evening. He became distracted - SB.

Isabelle Faust, soloist in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto may be a little disappointed to learn that she wasn't the main focus of my attention during the Prom Tuesday night (Prom 26) given by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Thierry Fischer.

My attention was fixed on a lady sitting on the front desk of the violas who I hadn't seen in fourteen years. Helen Roberts, sub-principal viola for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Fresh out of University and in no way nursing failed aspirations to make it as a professional musician, I went for the next best thing - doing grunt work for an orchestra instead. My first job was an assistant orchestral manager for the English String Orchestra in Malvern in Worcestershire. The same orchestra in which Helen Roberts played principal viola.

I wasn't terribly good at the job, it has to be said. I crunched the big shiny new orchestra van against a red pillar box shortly after I started and succeeded in cracking at the first rehearsal which no one appreciated resulting in the management gently suggesting that I "wait for a while - or perhaps even forever" before unleashing any wit on the band.

My run of bad luck didn't end there - one of the reasons why during a subsequent tour to Germany with Yehudi Menuhin the orchestra hired in some professional stage managers, much to my relief.

It was one of these very incidents I wanted to catch with sub-principal viola Helen. The resulting interview snatched outside the Royal Albert Hall during the interval shows quite understandably how Helen didn't remember me quite as well as I remember her.

Still, it was rather nice to have a natter and find out about the BBC Training Orchestra. Many thanks to Social Media Elf Peter Gregson for excellent camera work and to Radio 4 Blog Editor man Mr Steve Bowbrick for overseeing proceedings.

Jon Jacob is Website Manager at the BBC College of Journalism

• Listen to the first half of Prom 26 - Mendelssohn's Symphony 1 followed by Isabelle Faust playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
• Were you in the Hall for Prom 26 or did you hear it on Radio 3? We'd like you to write a short review of the concert on the Proms web site.
• Isabelle Faust interviewed in BBC Music Magazine.
• Jon blogs here. Follow him on Twitter and watch his videos on YouTube.