Assyrian Arts Institute will present the world premiere of Derrick Skye and Diana Farrell’s “Gilgamesh.”

The world premiere will take place at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on March 28, 2026.

“This opera gave me the rare opportunity to reimagine the mythic with respect for history and the thrill of invention. The sound world is epic, intimate, and truly global,” Skye told OperaWire. “Too often, trans-cultural work is framed as ‘fusion.’ We’re not fusing—we’re building a world where musical languages coexist without hierarchy.”

Regarding the work, Farrell added,  “At its heart, ‘Gilgamesh’ is a meditation on the difference between legacy and immortality. Immortality is rooted in fear and control—the desperate attempt to outlast time. Legacy is an act of generosity: the choice to lift others, to leave behind a world better than the one you inherited.”

“This opera is a modern epic not because we’ve modernized the story, but because the central question—What do we leave behind?—is as relevant now as it was 4,000 years ago. Especially for communities fighting to be seen, heard, and remembered. Assyrian people, who have survived nearly 1,500 years without a nation-state, Gilgamesh is more than myth—it’s metaphor. It’s about how a people endure through memory, art, and shared purpose,” she continued. “As a member of the Assyrian diaspora, I see ‘Gilgamesh’ as an allegory for our culture: survival without sovereignty, resilience without recognition, and the tireless commitment to pass down language, faith, art, and story against the forces of erasure. Opera has long been a home for cultural legacy. For Assyrians who have had to preserve our culture without institutional backing, this production plants a flag—not of conquest, but of endurance.”

“We’ve crafted Gilgamesh to speak across time: to anyone who’s lived through displacement, political oppression, or the threat of cultural extinction. That’s why the opera is timely for the world—and timeless for the Assyrian people,” she concluded.

The production is presented in partnership with Lyric Opera of Orange County and Bridge to Everywhere Orchestra.

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