Buzz for composer John Adams is getting louder with the premiere of Doctor Atomic—his acclaimed opera that incorporates Baudelaire, the Bhagavad Gita and declassified documents from the Manhattan Project—at the Metropolitan Opera around the corner in October. Back in 2005, Alex Ross wrote an extensive piece for The New Yorker on the occasion of its world premiere in San Francisco. Last week’s New Yorker has an excerpt from Adams’ soon-to-be-published memoir, Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life and he’s also featured online in an audio interview discussing his influences, the pressures of expectation and the motivation behind his memoir.

On October 6, the week before Doctor Atomic opens at the Met, Adams reflects on the relationship between words and music in a conversation with Ara Guzelimian, dean of the Juilliard School, at the 92nd Street Y. The evening will also feature musical illustrations by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, baritone Jordan Shanahan and pianist Linda Hall.

[Words & Music Series]

Related: Alex Ross returns to the Y in November to discuss Falling in Love with Modern Music.