Karolina, opera, piano and clean lines

Clean lines interest Karolina, in buildings and in clothes alike. She is 174 cm and slim, long black hair worn straight and sleek, brown eyes steady and amused. Her wardrobe is edited to the bone: a black column dress, a structured coat, one fine bracelet, no logos anywhere. The effect is minimalist glamour that walks into any theatre foyer or hotel bar without a second glance from anyone but you. In her late twenties, she is poised in the way that takes practice and looks effortless.

Discretion comes naturally to her, and wit follows close behind. Karolina says little that is unnecessary and a surprising amount that is funny, delivered deadpan in precise English. She trained at the piano for years and still plays most evenings; opera is the passion that grew out of it, and she is happy to give you a two-minute plot summary before curtain up so the second act makes sense. On free afternoons she takes architecture walks, looking up at cornices and fanlights the rest of London ignores.

Her West End evening is a night at the London Coliseum on St Martin's Lane, the largest theatre in the West End and home to English National Opera. She meets you at your hotel with time for a glass first, walks you down past the lit windows of Charing Cross Road, and settles into the dress circle knowing exactly where to look. At the interval she has a verdict on the soprano. Afterwards, supper somewhere quiet nearby, and a walk back up through Leicester Square once the crowds have thinned.

Covent Garden is home, a short walk from Charing Cross, and weeknights are the easiest for her. For an opera night, tell booking the performance date a few days ahead so the seats and her evening line up.