ISTANBUL - The ashes of a Turkish soprano, who died of respiratory and cardiac failure in Italy last Saturday, will be spread to the Bosphorus at a ceremony to be held in Istanbul`s Ortakoy neighborhood on May 16th.
Soprano Leyla Gencer`s ashes would be spread to the sea in line with her wishes, a statement from Istanbul State Opera and Ballet said on Wednesday.
A memorial will be held for Gencer at Istanbul`s Dolmabahce Palace on Friday morning as well. The orchestra and the chorus of Istanbul State Opera and Ballet will perform compositions of Mozart and Ahmed Adnan Saygun during the memorial.
-LEYLA GENCER-
Born in Istanbul in 1928, Gencer started studying vocal arts in Istanbul conservatory and she later studied with Italian soprano Giannina Arangi-Lombardi and Apollo Granforte.
Leyla Gencer made her operatic debut as "Santuzza" in Mascagni`s "Cavalleria Rusticana" at the Ankara State Opera in 1950.
Gencer`s international career began with "Madama Butterfly" opera at the Santa Carla Theater in Naples in 1954. In 1957, she made her debut at Teatro alla Scala in Milan as "Lidoine" in the world premiere of Poulenc`s "Les Dialogues des Carmelites."
Applauded as "La Diva Turca" in many opera halls all around the world, Gencer took stage until 1980s.
Gencer received many awards including "state artist" title in Turkey and "Caruso" award in Italy.
Known as the "last diva of the 20th century," Leyla Gencer spent the last years of her life as a didactic art director of an academy in Milan.
(DO-AÖ)