I once attended an open rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic, where people are allowed to sit in the rear of the hall. There were lots of blue ladies there who may or may not have been too cheap to buy tickets to the concert. Apparently the coughing was quite audible to Mehta, who finally stopped the orchestra and instructed the players to cough back at the audience. As they did so he turned and glared into the hall. I think he made his point. Chris Bonds