Salome’s request distressed King Herod because he felt compelled to honor his promise in front of his distinguished guests. Consequently, he sent an executioner with the order to bring John’s head on ...

It’s her mother, Herodias, who encourages her to ask for John’s head on a platter. The executioner comes for John, and the head is brought back into the party for all to see.

In "Salome," which the Houston Symphony (not Houston Grand Opera) is staging Friday and Sunday night at Jones Hall, John the Baptist is decapitated and his head served on a platter.