Composer John Adams gives the Third Annual Presidential Lecture on how French 19th-century writer Marcel Proust describes the act of listening to music, referring also to novelist Thomas Mann. Adams is introduced by Art Institute President and Director James Cuno.

Pulitzer Prize–winner John Adams is one of America’s most admired and respected composers. His operatic works - including Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, and Doctor Atomica - are epics that push the boundaries of modern composition. His best known orchestral piece, On the Transmigration of Souls, commemorated the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

This annual lecture is presented by President and Eloise W. Martin Director of The Art Institute James Cuno.

Recorded Thursday, November 12, 2009 at The Art Institute of Chicago-Rubloff Auditorium.