Poetry in motion

The other John Adams is in town for a performance of his piece "The Wound Dresser," based on a Civil War-era poem by Walt Whitman. Harvard's Bach Society Orchestra and baritone John Kapusta will perform the 20-minute work, and the composer and Harvard alum will be joined for a discussion by Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust and Harvard professor Helen Vendler. Adams will discuss adapting the poem to music, Faust will address its historical context, and Vendler will talk about the poem itself.

5 p.m. Free (tickets required, two per person). New College Theatre, 10-12 Holyoke St., Harvard University, Cambridge. 617-496-2222. www.fas.harvard.edu/~ofa JUNE WULFF

Send event information two weeks in advance to jwulff @globe.com and mgoldstein@globe.com (please include event date on the subject line).