Kyung-Wha Chung responds to her critics after scolding the parents of a coughing child during concert

In the news, the Korean violinist Kyung-Wha Chung has responded to her critics. On December 2nd, she gave her first concert in the UK in over a decade in the Royal Festival Hall. During the concert, she was disturbed by a coughing child in the side stalls. She apparently turned to the child's parents, telling them, "Maybe you should bring her back when she's older". Chung went on to intermittently look over in the direction of the child during the course of the concert.

The incident has sparked a lively online debate. While Chung's comment was unnecessarily abrasive, the fact remains that the coughing was disruptive, taking away Chung's ability to concentrate. Surely musicians deserve respect while performing. Chung has defended herself by pointing out that she enjoys exposing children to great music, but she thinks it should be "appropriate" events that allow the child greater flexibility. She makes good points. It still seems that many people, including the usually snobby Norman Lebrecht, think there's little room for an artist to demand respect. Let's hope the public chooses to continue to respect artists by giving them appreciative silence during performance. (Is New York listening?)