Twitphonic?

The National Symphony introduces real-time program notes via Twitter.

This is going to stir up a bit of controversy. I am far from a purist and all about embracing technology for musical audiences but does this take it too far? Surely, going to the symphony is about experiencing the music as it happens and how each individual audience member engages with that performance in his/her own way. I view these live tweets from the conductor creating two potential problems: disengagement from the audience (aren't the symphony, opera, ballet, theatre, etc. places we go to get away from our smartphones?) and changing the way an audience member might receive and react to a piece. I feel the last one might be more harmful than the first and interfere with the audience member's interpretations of the piece by being fed the conductor's insights to the work in real time.

Also, by allowing the live feed from Twitter on the lawn and not in the house, aren't we promoting an even further division of highbrow/lowbrow value judgments by reserving the technology for the less elite lawn-seating? As if those on lawn seats would benefit from the tweets?

Tweeting from the opera probably isn't in our future but pending the reaction to this it might be at the next symphony concert we attend. What are your thoughts?