Singer who stopped a concert after seeing young audience on their phones ... trends now
View
comments
A singer who halted a concert after spotting young audience members on their phones insisted he 'wasn't making a protest' but urged the orchestra to reverse its policy allowing filming during shows.
Renowned tenor Ian Bostridge stopped an ongoing performance of Benjamin Britten's Les Illuminations at Birmingham Symphony Hall last month, criticising audience members using their phones during the show.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Bostridge clarified that he 'wasn't making a protest' but was simply unable to concentrate due to the distraction from at least two individuals filming.
He said: 'You're looking at the audience and it's very interrupting and distracting to have phones being held up. It breaks the spell'.
'I didn't know about this policy and I wasn't making a protest of any sort to begin with, I simply couldn't carry on because I couldn't concentrate.'
Last month high-profile tenor Ian Bostridge (pictured) stopped an ongoing performance at the city's Symphony Hall to lambast audience members who were using their phones
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one of Britain's leading orchestras, said it will challenge the conventions of the concert hall by allowing mobile phone filming
He added that 'almost all'
