Can you hear me now?

[Georgie]

Speaking of cell phone abuse...here's the worst case I've experienced first hand...Picture this...it's almost the end of a 2 1/2 hour Bach St. John's Passion concert. Christ has breathed his last and has been laid in the tomb. We sing a GORGEOUS chorale entitled, "Rest well, Sleep well." It's a mournful lullaby to Christ with very moving words. It's slow, melodic, beautiful enough to make you cry. We had just finished it...the conductor's arms hadn't dropped..the beauty of it just hanging in the stillness for two seconds, when deedle-dee-deedle-dee-deedle-dee-dee...a cell phone rings. and rings... and rings.... The conductor just dropped his arms and waited, because there's still a beautiful closing chorale yet to go. Not only did the woman not turn it off...she answered it and started talking! Two people jumped out of their seats and went over to her and got her to leave....a man had loudly yelled, "Get off the phone!" at her before they could get her out of there. Whole mood, whole spirit of the thing destroyed. Eleven weeks of gruelling rehearsals down the tubes. Unbelievable.