All operas are performed in UH's Moores Opera House. Tickets are $15 and $10 for students and seniors. A season pass covering all four operas is available for $45. For additional details on tickets, call the Moores box office at 713-743-3313 or visit www.music.uh.edu/opera/boxoffice.

The Moores Opera Center's 2009 - 10 season is as follows:

• Oct. 23 - 26: "Il viaggio a Reims" by Gioachino Rossini
  Several international dignitaries are scheduled to attend a coronation, but find themselves trapped in their hotel. Not wanting to miss the party, they decide to create their own celebration. This comedy is noted for its climactic vocal tour de force featuring 14 soloists. 7:30 p.m., Oct. 23 - 24, 26; 2 p.m., Oct. 25.
• Jan. 28, 30, 31: "Don Giovanni" by Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart
  Mozart's classic makes its debut at the Moores Opera Center. This popular opera (sung in Italian with English surtitles) details the downfall of the title character, a womanizing nobleman. 7:30 p.m., Jan. 28, 30, 31
• Jan. 29 - 31: "The Cunning Little Vixen" by Leos Janáček
  Based on a comic strip from Czech writer Rudolf Těsnohlídek, Janáček's focuses on love, life and loss. A forester watches a mischievous vixen cub mature into a headstrong adult, which leads to a moving revelation on the cycle of life. This production will appeal to audiences of all ages. 7:30 p.m., Jan. 29, Feb. 1; 2 p.m., Jan. 31. Sung in English.
• April 9 - 12: "Elmer Gantry" (HOUSTON PREMIERE) with music by Robert Aldridge and libretto by Hershcel Garfein.
  Sinclair Lewis' classic novel has found a new life on the opera stage. "Elmer Gantry" follows the titular character's rise from womanizing college athlete into superstar - and still womanizing - evangelist. Upon its 2007 debut in Nashville, critics praised "Elmer Gantry" as an American classic. 7:30 p.m., April 9, 10, 12; 2 p.m., April 11.

The Moores Opera Center is part of UH's Moores School of Music. It was founded in 1986 by director Buck Ross and provides Houstonians with quality productions each spring and fall. The center has presented a number of Houston premieres including Ricky Ian Gordon's " The Grapes of Wrath," Sergei Prokofiev's "The Love for Three Oranges," Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz," Samuel Barber's "Vanessa," Jules Massenet's "Chérubin," Gioachino Rossini's "Il viaggio a Reims" and Kurt Weill's "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny." Professional recordings include the center's productions of Dominick Argento's "Casanova's Wedding" and a DVD release of Robert Nelson's "A Room With a View."

To learn more about the Moores Opera Center, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/.

MSM is one of the premier music schools in America. Offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, it serves approximately 600 students annually. Areas of study include composition, conducting, performance, theory and musicology. Its faculty consists of internationally recognized performers, composers and scholars. Among its ensembles are the Moores School Symphony Orchestra, Moores Jazz Ensemble, Moores Opera Center, Concert Chorale, Concert Women's Chorus, Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. A majority of the school's concerts are performed in the 800 seat Moores Opera House. For more details on the Moores School of Music, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/.