Irked maestro stopped Philharmonic orchestra to confront man with ringing cell phone

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Breaking records is usually something to be proud of, unless you’re the guy who stopped a New Philharmonic concert dead in its tracks with incessant cell phone ringing.

For the first time ever, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra stopped mid-performance Tuesday night during Gustav Mahler’s Ninth Symphony at the Lincoln Center, according to an ABC News report.

The performance was reaching a climatic point when the iPhone began to ring with the recognizable “Marimba” ringtone and went on for several minutes.

The maestro, Alan Gilbert, eventually spun around and faced the audience and asked the person who owned the cell phone to silence it.

When the ringing wouldn’t stop, Gilbert stopped the orchestra and waited until the person would confirm that he took care of his ringing phone.

“Is it off? It won’t come on again?” he asked the offending person, who is a regular Philharmonic attendee. The man nodded his head as a confirmation, and Gilbert resumed the concert.

The audience reportedly showed support the maestro, cheering him on, after having boeed the man who struggled to get his phone under control.