GLOBAL – There are few things more annoying in life than a phone ringing in the middle of a performance at a concert, theatre or at the cinema.

And there are few things more embarrassing if it is your phone causing the disturbance.

Heaven knows what it must be like if you are a virtuoso in the middle of one of your greatest recitals.

Which is why Slovakian violist Lukas Kmit’s reaction to a Nokia ringtone interruption during his performance at a Jewish orthodox synagogue is so impressive.

He simply took a deep breath, smiled and improvised, playing the world’s most famous ringtone right back at the audience. By doing so he defused the situation and won himself approaching a million hits on YouTube. And bookings galore for future performances, no doubt.

His witty reaction in Presov contrasts strongly with another incident when a concert by the New York Philharmonic was brought to a halt during Mahler’s 9th Symphony by the iPhone’s marimba ringtone.

The conductor stopped the orchestra upon hearing the tune as the piece was about to enter a quiet phase and only resumed once the audience member finally switched their phone off.

It shows that there’s no guarantee that other performers will be as understanding as Lukas Kmit. SO PLEASE REMEMBER TO TURN OFF YOUR PHONE BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE . . . except this one.