John Adams's opera, Doctor Atomic, made its Chicago debut last month at the Lyric Opera, under the direction of Adams's longtime collaborator, Peter Sellars, who also created the work's libretto. The production, starring Gerald Finley as Robert Oppenheimer, often called "the father of the atomic bomb," had its final performance last Saturday, on January 19.

Among those in the audience for closing night were the composer, drummer Glenn Kotche with his wife Miiri, and Nonesuch president Bob Hurwitz, pictured here inside the hall:

Doctor Atomic will make its Metropolitan Opera debut in New York City this October. The Doctor Atomic Symphony, based on orchestral music from the opera, will be given its New York premiere on February 16 at Carnegie Hall with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson conducting. The composer and conductor will also participate in a pre-concert talk with Carnegie's director of artistic planning, Jeremy Geffen, free to the concert's ticketholders. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org.