Cell Phones & Concertos
Earlier this month, a New York Philharmonic audience member disrupted a performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony when his iPhone rang. At first, Conductor Alan Gilbert attempted to ignore the “marimba” ring tone. However, after it persisted, the conductor halted the performance until the ringing ceased.
A few days after the event, the New York Times offered the patron’s side of the story. A serious fan of the Philharmonic, he reported that he had just obtained the iPhone and had turned it off before the performance began. Unfortunately, he had unknowingly set the phone’s alarm. It was that alarm that rang and disturbed the performance.
Before you attend a performance, follow these rules of smart phone etiquette:
When the house lights are dimmed, turn your phone to vibrate. Actually, I’d prefer you turn your cell phone off. However, if you’re expecting an emergency message, make sure you’ll be notified via a vibrating phone instead of a ring. And by the way, make sure the alarm has been turned off.
If your cell phone does make a noise, silence it immediately. Please don’t make performers or an audience suffer through multiple rings.
Don’t text or tweet during the performance. Unless the performance venue offers tweet seats, avoid distracting others by fiddling with your smart phone.
If you receive an emergency message, leave the theater before you respond.
When you’re starting work as an intern, new associate or new hire, oftentimes you feel you must remain accessible to your boss. Before you head to a performance, check in with him or her and confirm whether you can disconnect for a few hours.
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