Ringtone halts NY Philharmonic performance

NEW YORK (AP) — It's the dreaded sound at any live performance — a ringing cellphone.

That's what happened Tuesday night at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall during the final movement of Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony by the New York Philharmonic.

Music Director Alan Gilbert stopped the orchestra until the phone was silenced.

When the iPhone's ringtone initially went off, the conductor turned his head to signal his displeasure. But the ringing from the first row persisted.

Gilbert asked that the offending noise be turned off and finally stopped the orchestra until it was.

Betsy Vorce, speaking for Lincoln Center, says an announcement is made before every performance telling audience members to turn off their phones. If a device does go off, ushers are directed to discreetly ask the owner to turn it off.