Sick Puppies frontman Shimon Moore took time for a phone interview to answer questions about the new record, differences between Australia and the U.S. and what is happening for the band in 2013.

The Daily Cougar: So you’re working on a new record with the working title “Under the Black Sky.” How is that?

Shimon Moore: That title is a rumor. I can’t confirm the title, but I can confirm it’s not that. The album’s been in production for about eight months, and we worked the better part of a year before that. Production was kind of on and off, including mixing and stuff like that. The record is the best record we’ve ever made. It’s a perfect blend between what the first and second record was. There was a lot of people who were like, “I prefer the first record,” or “I prefer the second record.” We listened to what the fans were talking about, and some were from the first, and some were from the second record. So we asked them, “Why do you like that song? What do you like about it?” We took a lot of advice from our fans about what would we best.
TDC: What are you purposely doing different on this record that you haven’t done before?

SM: We put a lot more work into the musical parts, so we didn’t have to record a hundred guitars and a hundred drum samples on top of the live drums and all the little loops and noises that come in. It’s so loud. It’s so loud because there’s less going on, so you can turn instruments up louder.
TDC: How was it recorded?

SM: We got so specific. When you play the (power) chord, you move to the next chord and move to the next chord. We played the first string on the power chord and then we moved to the next note on that string and then we would go to the other string, playing the second part of that chord, and record that separately because there’s a different ton that happens. When you have all three strings going together, they can create a lush full tone, but you can’t control it. When you get the strings (separated), you create your own tone (and mess) with it. You can create the tone you want specifically. Then you don’t have to record 12 guitars. You record two or three and crank the (songs) out.
TDC: What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed between Australia and the U.S.?

SM: Living here is completely different. Number one, we don’t have guns, and that’s not a judgment, (but) it changes the whole culture — every little detail. I walked into a store, and this guy was closing, and he had his headphones on, and he had forgotten to lock the door. I was wearing a hoodie. It was kind of my own mistake, and I walk into Starbucks to try and get a chocolate, and this guy didn’t see me come in. Suddenly he turns his head and sees (me) in black hoodie and black jeans and pulls a gun — because he didn’t lock the door. Freaked me out. I just, “I just want a chocolate, I just want a chocolate,” and he said, “What’re you doing!” and I said, “I just want a chocolate! I just want a chocolate!” The fear in his eyes from a kid wanting to get a chocolate bar was amazing to me. That was my most memorable moment from the first set of tours we did here. Apart from that, your portions are huge, you have way more options for fast food. You have so many more radio stations and television stations.
TDC: So you’re stationed out here?

SM: I guess I live here now. I go home all the time, and I don’t really have a permanent address, but I guess I live here more than I live there. I have a work visa.
TDC: Do you have any tours planned for the latter half of this year?

SM: There are definitely plans, but nothing’s confirmed. I don’t know the exact release date. I know it’s coming out in a couple months. The single should be on the radio when we play those shows.
TDC: Are there any songs the band likes to play on tour?

SM: The fans told us they like “War.” We love “War.” They love “Cancer;” we love “Cancer.” They love “Odd One,” but it’s really hard to play. It’s really specific, really weird chord changes in the verse. You know how when you play, you can sway? I always stand up to get those chords right. To hear them sing that back is amazing. It’s lucky to be able to have a couple words in the song that resonate with people, and you get to be the guy that sings it. I love all the songs as well as they love them, though.
TDC: So the fan participation is a pretty big deal?

SM: I get angry if they don’t sing back. Not at them, but I get angry at myself. You know if you get ask a girl out on a date, and you’re, “This chick digs me,” and you’re like, “You wanna go out?” and she’s like, “No.” You feel like an idiot. You don’t feel angry at her, you’re like, “Man, what was I thinking? Of course they’re not gonna sing it back; you have to put it somewhere else in the set; that song wasn’t in the radio here well enough; or you’re in Germany and they don’t speak English.” I used to take it all very personally. Basically, if I couldn’t get the crowd, if the fans didn’t really dig the band, I’d get really bummed out.
TDC: Where’s the name “Sick Puppies” from?

SM: That came from my father. I thought of the name on a train. When I arrived, an hour after I thought of the name, he said, “Oh look, I’m reading a book called ‘Sick Puppies,’ what do you think of that for a band name?” It was really a stars-aligning strange kind of thing. If I knew we were going to mature as a band and not stay a snot-nosed little punk band, we might’ve reconsidered the name.

Metal band Exodus has been a part of the music scene for 33 years they have undergone many changes throughout their long career and still have a loyal following in the metal music world, | Courtesy of Fresnom media

A scent of smoke surrounded the entry to the House of Blues, and the cloud that accompanied it was only fitting for the music inside.

Metal-heads and thrashers alike packed the house 6 p.m. Wednesday for the Metal Alliance Tour, a concert that would leave a pounding in your skull and your body wracked with soreness for the next month. The show featured Holy Grail, Municipal Waste, High on Fire, Exodus and Anthrax.

Fans lined the walls and the standing area that made up general admission was already alive with a circle pit and fans throwing themselves against the stage like knights on a wall. Many wore black leather and had head-banging hair that fell down over their denim vests.

If the circle pits and moshing was intimidating before headliners Anthrax took the stage, it then became downright violent. The moshers looked set to start a riot, and those in the circle pit seemed ready to rouse a storm. The band themselves were possessed by the music; the fact that the entire band is within a year or two of 50 was entirely negligible. The audience sang back to vocalist Joey Belladonna the entire set, and any song that had some sort of chant section, such as “I Am the Law,” was filled in by the lively crowd. The band has garnered a dedicated following over the years.

The 33-year-old band Exodus, another large name on the ticket, has been through multiple lineup changes and hiatuses that got them where they are today. The band opened with “The Ballad of Leonard and Charles,” after which lead vocalist Rob Dukes took a monologue to explain how he’d love to live in Texas with our current gun rights. He remembered then, with a chuckle, that he was a felon and couldn’t keep a gun anyway, and the band roared into the rest of their set, which included “Bonded by Blood,” and “A Lesson in Violence.”

Municipal Waste’s singer took the stage by cartwheeling into center to greet the audience. If the younger band paused to speak during their 30-minute performance, it was to spew some vulgarities. Their ability to retain studio-quality sound was appreciable, but the drummer’s microphones left him sounding squelched.

High on Fire followed Waste with a much darker mood. The sweaty and shirtless singer looked as though he had just left a fight club and also cut the chatter to make up for the lacking time. The singer’s voice was a guttural yell that blended into their sound the entire set.

Anthrax played a number of their own songs, but also played “T.N.T.” by AC/DC, and finished their set with “Antisocial” by Trust.

arts@thedailycougar.com

There is a kitchen in black America where a mother brushes her daughter’s natural kinks into slick ponytails and, across the street, an aunt chemically straightens her niece’s hair with a relaxer and fine-toothed comb.

If you wear your hair weaved or relaxed, you can relate to memories of sitting between your mother’s legs as she treated your hair with Soft & Beautiful, a common hair relaxer used on young girls. You might also be familiar with struggling with Liquid Gold Bond-A-Weave hair glue over a bathroom sink or spending hours in a chair waiting for your best friend to plait a braid pattern for a sew-in weave.

The natural hair revolution is challenging mainstream perceptions about beauty within the black community and encouraging women to stop chemically straightening their hair. Although health concerns underline the argument for natural hair, the campaign also demoralizes traditions that have united black women for generations.

In 2009, comedian Chris Rock’s documentary, “Good Hair,” brought disputes between natural and processed hair to the attention of mass media. Since then, stereotypes and misconceptions fueled battles with the black community about natural versus chemically processed and weaved hair.

Rock was inspired to create the film after overhearing a conversation between his daughter and her white friend. Rock was disappointed that his daughter felt that her kinky curls were not beautiful. In the film, Rock visited beauty supply shops and salons and interviewed black women from various communities across the country. Black women spend fortunes damaging their self-esteem and their scalps in an effort to conform to a portrait of beauty he felt was designed by white society.

“Whatever makes you happy is good hair,” Rock said in a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “Do your hair for you, and you will be happy.”

The film suggested that black women were suffering from identity crises despite ending on a positive note. Rock finished the film by encouraging women to quit using chemical strengtheners such as Organic Root Stimulating Relaxer.

He also supported women choosing whatever style made them happiest, but this statement didn’t protect Rock from harsh criticism. Despite the film’s attempt to appear balanced, it failed to present the healthy traditions black beauty culture has established over generations of kitchen salons and corner barbershops, which have developed a culture of hair techniques and processes that have diversified the black perception of beauty and femininity.

While the media has exaggerated this cultural war between women with natural and processed hair, it brings attention to stereotypes black women use when identifying each other.

In a positive light, natural hair is celebrated as being healthier and empowering. Facebook groups such as Back to Natural Hair and Geaux Natural are dedicated to sharing new styles and supporting women as they liberate themselves from their chemically relaxed hair.

These sites are becoming more popular as women bond over struggles with managing natural hair and facing mainstream perceptions that label kinky curls, afros and dreadlocks as inappropriate or “nappy,” a common derogatory term in Rock’s documentary.

It is not necessary to go natural, but many women choose to completely shave their heads and restart with pure new growth, a stage known in reforming to natural hair as the “big chop.” New growth refers to the virgin hair that grows from the scalp before being treated with relaxers.

“Since I became natural, I am more confident in my own beauty,” said media production junior Zondra Victor. “I don’t hide behind my straight hair anymore.”

Victor made “the big chop” two years ago because relaxers tend to thin the hair, damage the hair follicles and irritate the scalp. Rock criticized mothers for using relaxers on young girls by calling the process “kiddy perm.”

Black celebrities like India Arie and Solange Knowles are idolized for their natural hair. Arie moved into the mainstream music scene in 2006 with her song “I Am Not My Hair ft. Akon,” which encouraged all women to stop identifying themselves by the style of their hair. In 2009, Knowles shaved her head to become natural and was disgusted with the negative criticisms she received by fans and the media. In an interview with Winfrey, the host restated a post from Knowles’ Twitter page.

“I just wanted to be free from the bondage that black women sometimes put on themselves with hair. … In this phase of my life, I want to spend the time, the energy and the money on somewhere else and not in the salon,” Knowles said.

Photos of Knowles’ shaved head were the third top Internet trend in 2009 during the weeks following the revel of the singer’s big chop.

Today, the hype has cooled down over natural versus weaved hair in the media, but runways and magazines continue to predominately feature models with chemically straightened or weaved styles. Ataui Deng, Yasmin Warsame and Alek Wek are the natural haired models who make it into high-profile ads and fashion shows.

The harsh contrast between African and black models creates the feeling that natural hair is enforcing African traditions on black society, which has developed its own norms. Psychology junior Ody Ezeigwe said that being African should be more than just looking the part.

“I don’t believe that having a different type of hairstyle means that you are losing touch with your African roots,” Ezeigwe said. “It is the most natural, but our beauty shouldn’t be defined by just one type of hairstyle. In the end, the idea of beauty depends on an individual’s perspective. Besides, a person should intellectually invest themselves in what it means to be an African and not just try to look the part.”

Ezeigwe is a second generation Nigerian-American and prefers to wear her hair relaxed and weaved and enjoys a wide variety of styles.

The push for natural hair has fallen from the attention of the mainstream media since “Good Hair” debuted four years ago, but it has given the black community space to approach the issue in a more accepting environment.

In urban neighborhoods, beauty supply shops have become hubs for natural, weaved and relaxed women alike. Although weaves and relaxers continue to fly off the shelves, new products and tools that make it easier for black women to have a straight or polished look are being introduced. Popular ethnic hair product companies like Organic and Crème of Nature have introduced safer relaxing formulas and encourage women to treat their hair sparingly.

Black beauty culture is evolving into a diverse world that encourages women to express their unique fierceness and discover their own form of beauty.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Students often look for a great way to be involved in the community. Whether it is joining a book club or a sports team, it helps them get away from all the schoolwork. Frisbee is often known for just throwing a disk around, but a couple of students found it to be a competitive sport.

“This sport helps out our guys to be stress free,” said Alex Ferget, coach of the Sky Line team. “This is a really good way to get around and compete, especially being surrounded by your friends.”

Like any other sport, ultimate Frisbee is a team-effort sport. Like football, it involves two teams tossing the Frisbee to each other trying to make it in the goal. This involves throwing and catching the Frisbee in order to make a touchdown.

While practice takes place, the members help each other out to better the team. Geology junior Sebastian Weinand finds the practice to be a great time not to worry about schoolwork.

“This is my stress relief,” Weinand said. “A lot of the time I do is just work; then coming here, it would help out to get better and to relax.”

Sky Line has been a part of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center for about seven years. It provides students a new way to get physical and get involved with the UH community.

Nutrition senior Cobin Sonny has been involved with the team for three seasons. After playing in tournaments, Sonny says it’s a great way to get out and compete with different people.

“It’s a good way to meet new people,” Sonny said. “A lot of the guys bond with each other, especially the students that are new to the University. It’s like a brotherhood for me.”

The team is always recruiting players, many of which are new students. Being in his first year at the University, creative writing sophomore Eric Carter found the team helps him be more socially active. After seeing the relationships he built with the other team members, Carter wants to help others to join the team.

“We want to help new students, especially the freshmen,” Carter said. “We kind of help them out by sticking together and helping them get the homework done.”

With more students being involved, captain and finance junior Ryan Ackley feels confident about his team. Although the season is almost over, Ackley says his major goal is to recruit more members to keep the league going.

“You really have to have a strong team to make it,” Ackley said. “We all do teamwork really well, and we all hang out all the time. It’s great.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

Many students find the equality symbol comforting like human resources development graduate student Darelle Daniels. This has caused many students to change their Facebook profile pictures. | Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar

A horde of red equal signs symbolizing the recent controversy in marriage equality invaded Facebook in late March as UH students revealed their standpoints and attempted to use their social media influence on political issues.

The Human Rights Campaign broadcasted their logo to represent marriage equality on March 25. According to HRC’s spokesperson on MSNBC.com, the original photo on HRC’s Facebook page was seen by over 9 million people and shared over 77,000 times the next day.

Associate professor of sociology Amanda Baumle said the image offered a convenient but effective method to increase awareness.

“Through images like the HRC marriage equality logo, individuals are able to quickly and easily disseminate a signal about their beliefs to their social networks,” Baumle said.

“And the benefit is that they often prompt individuals to research and discover the important legal or political issues behind the image. Without the Facebook image appearing over and over in your newsfeed, it might be easier to overlook what is taking place at the Supreme Court.”

Baumle said there are potential risks in voicing opinion through social media, as it can create rifts that endanger relationships.

“The enormity of social networks and the way these messages can ‘snowball’ by being shared or passed along by friend allows social media to potentially instigate change on a more widespread basis. On the flip side, there is also the potential of learning that your friends, relatives or colleagues have beliefs that are quite different from your own,” Baulme said.

Baumle also mentioned that recent polls show a narrow majority of adults who support same-sex marriage counter to a greater majority of young adults who support same-sex marriage.

“The power of these messages raises awareness in how widespread support might be for an issue, even from individuals who may not discuss their viewpoints offline,” Baumle said.

“In an era where same-sex marriage is increasingly viewed as an important question of civil rights, the ability of individuals to share their viewpoints in a fairly peaceful, non-confrontational manner can be seen as a relatively new form of organizing and reflecting a social movement toward equality.”

Advertising junior Lauren Riojas decided to change her Facebook profile picture to the red equality symbol as a way to show her stand on the issue.

“At first, I didn’t understand what the logo meant. I saw a few of them, but then they kept popping up,” Rojas said.

“I later came across a link to the HRC page and a post on the Supreme Court cases, and I decided to default the symbol as a way to show my support, not because everyone else was doing it.”

Although she didn’t encounter disagreements to her beliefs, Riojas needed to explain the meaning and relevance of marriage equality to several people and considers social media as a great way to promote awareness.

“Social media is an outlet that almost everyone is using, and hot topics are always trending. Everyone almost always has an opinion about everything, especially politics, and social media helps bridge the gap on unfamiliar issues,” Riojas said.

Alumnus Anthony Guillory also changed his Facebook profile picture to promote awareness of the cases and the issue. Having grown up in church, he confronted many problems for his public support of marriage equality.

“There were bible quoting and accusations of sinning, I think separate but equal is never actually equal, and regardless of what one chooses to believe, no one can use that to determine someone else’s rights in this country,” Guillory said.

He also said that people are influenced by what they see in commercials and billboards.

“Although I can’t do much politically, I can still show support for the cause and for many of my good friends even if it’s just Facebook,” Guillory said.

“We use social media to get ideas out and to communicate with a wide variety of individuals, but is it a good way of promoting politics? It’s better than a filibuster, but it’s not a soap box.”

arts@thedailycougar.com

The cozy house-turned-bar was teeming with life Friday night as performance artists from all over Houston gathered for a night of exploration and community interaction.

The spotlight for the night was centered on Continuum, a local Houston performing arts group that was formed in April 2011. They teamed up with other local artists to share the evening with the Westheimer area.

Continuum held “The Fifth Night”, the fifth installation of the Continuum Live Art series, at AvantGarden. They initiated the series in November 2012, and have held a workshop and performance each month for young artists.

The group started the series to ignite a passion for the performing arts and encourage the exploration of new mediums and modes of communication.

“The purpose of the series is to attract as many emerging artists, which is essentially the purpose of Continuum, and to conquer fears. That is the purpose of performing arts,” said Jonatan Lopez, a head coordinator of Continuum.

Continuum offers artists encouragement, support and a platform on which to perform. The workshops held by the performance group are geared toward helping people break out and connect with other artists.

The bar was packed with 20 musical acts and 12 performances, and there were about 150 people in attendance.

The first performance of the night celebrated UH senior sculpture student Hilary Scullane’s birthday. Scullane has performed several times with Continuum, including the past three performances of the live art series.

She describes herself as a performance artist and sees sculpture as an extension of that, even though people disagree.

“Performance art isn’t supported in the sculpture block,” said Scullane. “Many of the sculpture students had to stop because their grades were being affected.”

Sway Youngston, a UH media production graduate and senior Continuum member, performed one of the highlights of the night.

“Human Origami” was an improvisational performance between Youngston and artists Margee Deneen and Scoot Gergoly. It incorporated dance as the artists intertwined, folded and separated. As the performance came to a close, they invited the audience to join in. It quickly erupted into a flurry of dancing that blurred the line between performer and audience.

Texas Christian University Political science senior Matt Dietrichson, a friend of Deneen, was one of the many drawn into the “Human Origami”.

“First I was confused, then I was excited. Everyone there was part of the performance,” Dietrichson said.

Almost everyone in attendance seemed to agree.

“I thought tonight was the most happening thing I’ve ever experienced at this particular venue,” said Wesley Degroot, a former member of the local Houston band The Roosevelt’s. “I want more!”

Even those that had never been to a performance art show were astounded by what they saw.

“The most striking to me was the lack of any judgment from any direction. It’s just crazy that there are human beings that think differently, and then they all cluster together. And that just blows my mind,” said communication senior Christian Osorio

A steady stream of support for the performing arts is definitely there, and people are taking notice.

“I love Continuum. I love this group, I love (how the performances) pushing boundaries. It’s perfect for this venue. It’s AvantGarden and it’s avant-garde art, and I think it’s beautiful,” said attendee Jeff Hunter.

Continuum plans on hosting their final workshop on April 19 and a finale performance on May 3. Both will be hosted at AvantGarden.

arts@thedailycougar.com

Dr. Richard Fish explored the relationship between art and science in The Eye and Visual Arts presentation Monday. | Jessica Portillo/The Daily Cougar

The chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Methodist Hospital presented a world where science and art collide to make something unique and powerful, and he explored how much of that art is science, and how much is experimentation.

Doctor Richard Fish presented the lecture as an optometrist and as a lover of art. His lecture, The Eye: Ocular Diseases and Visual Artists, showcased famous artists and how their works might have been influenced by ocular diseases.

“Many people think that impressionists suffered myopia (nearsighted),” Fish said. “But when you look at some of their earlier work, you can see that it’s very clear and has plenty of detail so it’s much more likely that they were just experimenting with technique.”

That wasn’t the case for some artists, though. Claude Monet and Mary Cassatt suffered from cataracts later in life that impaired their work. Fish presented their work before cataracts and as the disease progressed. The vibrant colors and rich detail were lost to muddy reds and simple sketching.

“Genius is genius, whether or not it’s been impaired by some loss,” Fish said. “Beethoven wrote his last symphony when he was deaf and had to imagine what it would sound like. That’s an incredibly impressive accomplishment.”

Artists like Charles Meryon and Paul Henry were red/green color deficient but this didn’t prevent them from creating paintings. Meryon did black and white sketches and Henry painted in blues, yellows and browns. Edvard Munch’s left eye hemorrhaged, but he simply drew things the way he saw them.

As a retinal surgeon, Fish said that he, and many of his colleagues, consider themselves artists. They use color to help identify the area of the eye that needs the surgery. Retinal surgeon’s primarily use white, blue and green, and Fish described how different artists used those colors and how those colors are used in his profession.

Fish encouraged the people in the audience to experience the art in person instead of looking at it through a monitor, which he said will help them gain a better appreciation of the work each artist put into their piece.

“Go see art. The internet can’t do justice to seeing the masterpieces in person. So much detail gets lost that you can’t experience them the way the artists painted them.”

The Indian Students Association filled the auditorium at Cullen Performance Hall with its 6^th annual cultural program for NASHA 2013 on Friday Apr. 5.

Each year at UH, ISA hosts NASHA, a cultural competition in which students come together from various universities from all over Texas. The students put on this annual program in an effort to enrich crowds and share the experience of India’s bright culture by showcasing their talents in areas of dancing and singing.

“It’s so exciting to see all of the different types of dances and to see the diversity amongst the audience and their interest in our Indian culture,” said kinesiology junior Tulsi Mulji.

Throughout the program, students from all over Texas performed dances in various styles, ranging from bollywood dancing, classical raas — a fairly popular dance style in Gujarat — and even Bhangra, a traditional Punjabi dance.

13 teams danced competitively for a chance at winning 1^st place in this year’s NASHA 2103 dance competition. ISA announced that the winners of this year’s annual competition would be competing for cash prizes up to $2,000.

Typically people would expect all the performers to be have an Indian background, but there was quit a bit of diversity within the performing groups as well. Chowl Bhangra and Alamo City Bhangra were among the dance teams that included non-Indian performers.

“It was interesting and unexpected to see the diversity within the performing groups,” accounting senior Hammad Iqbal said. “It’s nice to see people of other origins not only expressing interest in Indian culture but also taking part in it.”

As the program came to an end, the performers awaited the results. The performances were judged by a panel that had a background in Bollywood and classical Indian dances and songs.

This year’s third place winners were Chowl Bhangra from Rice University, Second place was awarded to our own UH Roarin’ Raas and this year’s first place winners were Dirty South Dandiya from the University of Texas at Austin.

“This year’s Nasha competition was truly amazing; it was great to see all the dances being performed to the new songs,” finance and marketing sophomore, Rahul Patel said. “It made me really happy to see that UH made second place; they have come a long way in just two short years.”

raduate students James Rodriguez and Chris Trapani played the leasing roles . | Courtesy of Moores school of music

The Moores Opera Center proved they can take on anything with their first-time rendition of the classic Italian opera “Rigoletto.”

An absorbing and fast-moving opera, the story begins when the shameless Duke of Mantua fools around with the wrong girl, whose father then puts a curse on the Duke and his snide court jester, Rigoletto. Rigoletto’s curse is realized when the Duke falls in love with his sheltered daughter, Gilda. But when Rigoletto reveals the Duke for the deceitful womanizer he truly is, murderous plots spiral out of control.

Written by Giuseppe Verdi, and directed and produced by Moores Opera House director Buck Ross with music direction by conductor and assistant professor Brett Mitchell, the opera opened Friday night to a large attendance at the Moores Opera House.

Accompanied by an exceptional orchestra, graduate students James Rodriguez and Ashly Neumann carried the show with impeccable vocals and engaging character developments.

Rodriguez’s outstanding solos and impassioned commitment to his character transformed the conniving entertainer to a concerned father. His versatility as an actor and stamina as a singer left the opera house in shock and awe.

An equally powerful counterpart, Neumann gave a mesmerizing performance as the naïve and lovestruck Gilda.

From curious and in love to a woman betrayed, Neumann breaks our hearts and leaves us wanting more. Her voice a powerhouse in contrast to her sweet and helpless character, and the audience went wild after each of her solos.

Together, the two leads manifested a perfect father-daughter dynamic and the drama of a classic Italian opera.

In addition to the extraordinary performances, the production itself was put together with stunning visual effects and an elaborate set design.

The video effects gave the show fantastic veracity, projecting artwork found in the real Duke of Mantua’s Palazzo Te by Italian Renaissance artist Giulio Romano in Act II.

The production also prepared a two-story tavern set piece for Act III, further demonstrating a knack for showmanship.

With a music staff in high demand, this was also a farewell performance for many long-time members, including conductor Stephen W. Jones, pianist Katherine Ciscon, and music director Mitchell.

An enjoyable and thoroughly impressive production, the Moores Opera Center ends the season on a high note.

Announcements for next season will be made in May.