Press Release: Seventh Annual Mesopotamian Night Gala in San Jose

Media Contacts:

Tony Khoshaba, Executive Producer / (408) 644-1591 / mesopotamiannight@gmail.com                                                                                                                       

David Perry & Associates, Inc. / (415) 693-0583 / news@davidperry.com   

Seventh Annual Mesopotamian Night Gala

Saturday, June 21 At San Jose’s California Theatre
www.mesopotamiannight.org 

8 April 2014 - San Francisco, CA: The Assyrian Aid Society of America present the Seventh Annual Mesopotamian Night (www.mesopotamiannight.org) event at Saturday, June 21 at the California Theatre in San Jose, California.  In the Mesopotamian Night gala tradition, the evening begins at 5pm with a reception featuring fine wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by Assyrian-themed performances starting at 7pm.  Throughout the evening, a silent and live auction will offer an impressive gallery of art works by Assyrian artists. Considered the premiere fundraising event of the Assyrian Aid Society of America, this event has also become the primary medium for advancing and promoting Assyrian arts and culture including music, sculpture, painting and dance. 

“The previous six programs have raised over $350,000 to fund Assyrian education, humanitarian and refugee relief efforts throughout the Middle East,” said the event’s Executive Producer, Tony Khoshaba.  “With your support, we would like to continue this worthy endeavor.”

This year’s performance program is comprised of two acts.  Act One is a ballet theatre presentation of  The Little Lantern based on the popular children's book written by Ghassan Kanafani. The libretto and exquisite choreography is created by Assyrian ballerina Sherene Melania with enchanting musical composition and arrangement by Assyrian composer George Somi.  Melania, a member of the San Francisco Arts Commission, is also the Artistic Director of the internationally-acclaimed Presidio Dance Theatre.  Act Two features music from the repertoire of Assyrian composer Alexander Shoora Michaelian performed by the Mesopotamia choir and symphony orchestra conducted by Maestro John Kendall Bailey, followed by the music of Assyrian singer Ogin Betsamo. 

“We will also be honoring two great Assyrians for their extraordinary contribution to Assyrian Arts,” Khoshaba continued. “Our first honoree is Mr. Shoora Michaelian for his contribution to Assyrian music for over seven decades.  We will also be honoring Mr. Fred Parhad for his exceptional contribution in promoting the Assyrian heritage through his work in the field of art and sculpture.”

               

Tickets for this year’s event can be purchased directly at the theatre box office or Mesopotamian Night or online at:  http://www.mesopotamian-night.org/p/tickets.html.  Tickets may also be purchased directly, without a service fee, by contacting Sabrina Abraham at (408) 921-2401 or sabrinaabraham@mac.com. 

Mesopotamian Night 2009 Proceeds Funds School Bus in North Iraq

$25,000 from the proceeds of the Mesopotamian Night 2009 cultural spectacular on August 15 in Modesto, California has purchased a new school bus that is now in use in north Iraq.

The Nissan mini bus began transporting students in mid-October. The service brings children from Bakhitme to Bahra School in Semel and Shameil School in Sheoz.

“This vehicle has been needed for a long time,” according to AAS-Iraq President Napoleon Patto. “We and the children are very grateful for the generosity of the AAS-A Central Valley Chapter and the kind people attending Mesopotamian Night performance.”

The annual Mesopotamian Night cultural events are a production of the Central Valley Chapter of the Assyrian Aid Society of America and in three years have raised over $165,000 for education and other charitable projects in north Iraq.

Mesopotamian Night Receives The James Irvine Foundation Grant

A Mesopotamian Night, the third annual evening of Assyrian culture and music presented by the Central Valley Chapter of the Assyrian Aid Society of America, has received a supporting grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

"We are honored to have such a prestigious organization recognize the value of the work we have been doing with the Mesopotamian Night series in Modesto," said Chapter President Tony Khoshaba. "This gives us even greater incentive for this year's event and beyond."

A Mesopotamian Night will take place on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California.

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. The Foundation's grantmaking is organized around three program areas: Arts, Youth and California Perspectives, which focuses on improving decision making on significant state issues. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided over $1 billion in grants to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations throughout California. With current assets of over $1.4 billion, the Foundation expects to make grants of $80 million in 2009 for the people of California.

The Assyrian Aid Society of America is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization building schools, providing war refugee relief, staffing and supplying medical clinics, rebuilding homes, irrigating farmlands, bringing electricity to remote villages, facilitating life-saving surgeries, and implementing a host of other vital programs and services since 1991.

Mesopotamian Night 2009 Press Release

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Tony Khoshaba, Chapter President, AAS-A Central Valley
(209) 606-5438
tonykhoshaba@sbcglobal.net
www.mesopotamian-night.org

Date: 06/13/2009

MESOPOTAMIAN NIGHT 2009: CELEBRATING ASSYRIAN CULTURE

The Assyrian Aid Society of America (AAS-) Central Valley Chapter will present the third annual Mesopotamian Night concert on Saturday, August 15 in the Rogers Theater at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, California.

The concert is part of AAS-A’s continuing effort to promote Assyrian music, arts, and culture throughout the world. It also serves as a major fundraising event in support of AAS-A’s education projects in what is known as Assyria, the ancient Assyrian homeland, located in present-day northern Iraq.

Assyrian symphonic, opera, folk, and popular music will highlight an evening of exciting and unforgettable entertainment. John Kendall Bailey will conduct the Gottschalk Music Center Orchestra, directed by Ernie Bucio. Assyrian writer and classical music radio personality Obelit Yadgar will be Master of Ceremonies.

Assyryt Suite, by the renowned French composer Michel Bosc, will open and close the classical portion of this year’s Mesopotamian Night concert. Assyryt, performed in two separate suites for this program, is an orchestral arrangement of 20 piano pieces by the noted Assyrian composer, the late Paulus Khofri.

Like last year, the Mesopotamian Night gala again presents selections from another Assyrian opera—sung in Assyrian. The Overture and the Malik Toma Castle scene from Act One of the opera Qateeni Gabara by Michel Bosc is set to selected stories from the Assyrian folk epic of the same title by the late William Daniel. Well-known singers from the San Francisco Bay Area will perform.

The Mesopotamian Singers Group, a newly formed ensemble specializing in Assyrian music, will perform songs by Paulus Khofri and Nebu Issabey. Assyrian soprano Lorraine Davis adds her lovely voice to the concert in songs by William Daniel.

The overture from the oratorio Gilgamesh will create excitement for a new work in progress by Pastor Samuel Khangaldy. Soloists and the orchestra will also turn to the opera Gilgamesh, also a work in progress by John Craton, for the Duet of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Assyrian recording stars Lida Lawando and Emanuel Bet Yonan, along with Gottschalk Music Center Orchestra, are sure to rock the hall in the second half with a string of Assyrian popular and traditional songs.

In the Mesopotamian Night gala tradition, the live auction offers an impressive gallery of art works this year donated by Assyrian artists Issa Benyamin, Alexander Bakuniance, Paul Batou, Juliet Moradian, Sharokin Betgevargiz, and Samuel Khangaldy.

2009 Honorary Committee members include program sponsors Dr. Edison Ishaya, Dr. Eden Naby, Dr. Ebby Paul Jido, and Dr. John Michael, as well as Assyrian writer Fred Aprim.

This year AAS-A will recognize artistic and cultural icons Rabi Issa Benyamin and Rabi Daniel Benyamin for their contributions to Assyrian arts and literature with its first annual Mesopotamian Achievement Award.

Enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvre prior to the performance and at intermission.
Ticket reservation forms are available online at www.mesopotamian-night.org, at www.galloarts.org, and at the Gallo Center box office.

For more information call AAS-A at 209-606-5438.

Proceeds from the performance and auction benefit AAS-A humanitarian, medical, and education projects in the Homeland.

The Mesopotamian Night 2009 concert is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

The Assyrian Aid Society of America is a charitable 501(c)(3) non profit organization dedicated to assisting needy Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriacs in northern Iraq and around the world. Since 1991 AAS-A has raised nearly $8 million in donations and grants to build schools, staff and supply medical clinics, facilitate life-saving surgeries, rebuild homes, irrigate farmlands, bring electricity to rural villages and implement a host of other vital programs and services.