The first performance of the opera Sophie's Choice was given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on December 7, 2002, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and directed by Trevor Nunn. The Concert Suite from Sophie's Choice was written for the Peabody Institute. The first performance was given by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra with mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Healy, conducted by Hajime Teri Murai, at the Peabody Institute, Baltimore on April 24, 2004. The suite is a direct transcription by the composer from the orchestral music of the opera. The mezzo-soprano aria may be omitted.