Are you quite finished? New York Philharmonic conductor dramatically halts performance after cell phone interruption

Orchestra music director Alan Gilbert was so appalled by the continuing distraction during one of the most poignant parts of the performance that he brought the musicians to a standstill.

The phone’s 'marimba' ring-tone went off from a front row seat of New York's Avery Fisher Hall during Tuesday night's performance, according to eyewitnesses.

The untimely interruption happened during the final and most moving bars of the Mahler Ninth symphony, just 13 bars before the beginning of the last page of the score, blogger Michael Jo reported.

Jo wrote on his blog thousandfold echo: ‘As Alan Gilbert turned to the first violins and the sound grew ever more hushed and veiled, the unmistakable chimes of the iPhone Marimba ringtone resounded loud and clear’.

In an almost unprecedented measure, an obviously annoyed Mr Gilbert cut the orchestra.

He then turned around on the podium to face the offender, music student Kyra Sims told the superconductor blog.

During a pause of several minutes the music director asked 'Are you finished?' When the culprit didn’t reply he said: ‘Fine, we'll wait.'

Some furious members of the audience called out for punishment: 'Thousand dollar fine, Get out!' and 'Kick him out! were all heard'

When the ringing eventually stopped Mr Gilbert asked the man if he had turned off the phone. The man indicated that it wouldn't go off again.