Doctor Atomic

opera by Adams

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July 16, 2026

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Doctor Atomic is an opera by American composer John Adams. The opera, with a libretto by Peter Sellars, centers on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who led the Manhattan Project and played a crucial role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The opera explores Oppenheimer's complex motivations and the ethical dilemmas he faced in relation to his work on the atomic bomb.21

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Peter Sellars
…operas Nixon in China (1987), Doctor Atomic (2005), and A Flowering Tree (2006).
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…operas Nixon in China (1987), Doctor Atomic (2005), and A Flowering Tree (2006).
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John Adams
Operas
The composer’s third opera, Doctor Atomic (2005), was the story of the scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, who during World War II devised the first atomic bomb. Sellars compiled the libretto from a variety of sources, including the favourite poetry of the Los Alamos physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer…
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The composer’s third opera, Doctor Atomic (2005), was the story of the scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, who during World War II devised the first atomic bomb. Sellars compiled the libretto from a variety of sources, including the favourite poetry of the Los Alamos physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer…
Read More