The Composer is Dead is now being turned into a book with illustrations by Carson Ellis (which will come with a CD recording of the orchestral performance). Its plot concerns a whodunit murder mystery concerning the composer mentioned in the title. In the words of Daniel Handler, the book begins with "a dead composer, and all the sections of the orchestra are questioned as to who did it." It was produced with the goal of introducing children to the instruments found in an orchestra.

"Ever since I was a boy, classical music has made me weep uncontrollably. I hope The Composer Is Dead does the same for a new generation. It’s certainly either alarmingly original or originally alarming." - Lemony Snicket

Brent Assink, SFS Executive Director calls The Composer is Dead a "a joyful and intelligent introduction to classical music". The book is set to be released sometime in 2008.

A list of upcoming performances of "The Composer is Dead" is below (thank you to Gigi for this information):

Memphis, TN September 23, 2007
Chicago, IL October 27, 2007
Raleigh, NC March 8, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI April 20, 2008
Philadelphia, PA May 10, 2008

The performances in Chicago and Philadelphia will feature Daniel Handler narrating.