The first Mesopotamian Night was held on June 30, 2007 in the backyard of Mrs. Diana Malik Pedota’s beautiful house in Modesto, CA.
The event consisted of excerpt presentation of “Inanna: An Opera of Ancient Sumer” composed by John Craton performed by singers from the “Townsend Opera Players”: Sibel Dermiren as Inanna, Andrew Pardini as Dumuzi, Randi Linee as Geshtinanna with Chorus: Michelle Fernandez, Rebecca Gain, Kathy Lindsey and Barbara Wesley. Costumes by Irene Warda.
As its title implies, Inanna is an opera that takes places in ancient Sumer. Based on the Inanna poems of the period, many of which are believed to have been written by High Priestess Enheduanna circa 3000 B.C., the opera weaves together three principal episodes from the narrative: the tale of the huluppu tree, the tale of the courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi, and the epic known today as “The Decent of Inanna”
The program also included a delicious four course dinner with authentic Assyrian dishes and Art Auctions.
A Mesopotamian Night: Under the Stars was a successful event that attracted a little over 400 in attendance and raised more than $55,000 for the Assyrian Aid Society as well as setting the course for the future projects. This success inspired the producers take on a more challenging project and move the performances from an elegant back yard house to Modesto’s Gallo Center for the Arts in 2008.