Musicians Who Explode in Rage at Cell Phone Interruptions vs. Those Who Handle It Like Legends

Imagine you’re a violinist in the world-famous Gothenburg Orchestra, and your cell phone goes off right in the middle of Christian Zacharias’s piano solo. After a moment of tense, disdainful silence where all you can hear are a few coughs from the audience and the incessant ringtone, Zacharias calmly says, “Don’t answer it, take it home.” You’re pretty sure someone just got sacked. Somehow, he tries to keep playing, and the orchestra follows along, but that only makes things more awkward. This attempt to ignore the issue and drown out the ringing feels like sticking your head in the sand, not to mention the human tragedy that has just unfolded in front of a packed concert hall.

Now, contrast that with a soloviolist whose final tones of a Bach suite have just rung out in the scintillating air of a gothic church. His face is sweaty; he’s given it his all, transcended to new realms of consciousness. Suddenly, there it is — the Nokia ringtone we all have etched into our memories. It takes him a second to return to earth, but then he responds in kind, playing along with the ringtone and turning it into a Bachesque improvisation. This shows his true creative spirit, quick thinking, and, most of all, humanity. Should the person have turned off their phone? Of course! But how you respond is always up to you.