Mark S. Doss will sing the role of John the Baptist in Houston Symphony’s staged production of Salome this week. Photo by Karen Almond.
In Friday’s (6/7) Houston Chronicle, Cary Darling writes, “Not many people have a severed head of themselves, let alone one they bring to the workplace. But that’s exactly what bass-baritone opera singer Mark S. Doss is doing this week in Houston as he takes on one of his signature roles as John the Baptist (Jokanaan) in Richard Strauss’ controversial, early-20th-century opera ‘Salome,’ based on the play by Oscar Wilde. In ‘Salome,’ which the Houston Symphony … is staging Friday and Sunday night at Jones Hall, John the Baptist is decapitated and his head served on a platter. For Doss, it’s a case of ‘have head, will travel,’ as it was first created for him when he took on the role for … La Scala opera house in 2007. ‘They did the mold and I guess I asked them if I could have it,’ Doss says … Houston Symphony scheduled ‘Salome’—one of the rare instances when the symphonic organization stages an opera—this weekend as part of a Strauss Festival. This week, the Houston Symphony is the hosting organization for the League of American Orchestras 79th annual Conference, which is expected to draw some 1,000 music professionals to Houston.”
