Leyla Gencer, one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th Century passed away. Her ashes were scattered over the Bosphorus with a ceremony held next to the Dolmabahçe Palace.
Hailed as "La Diva Turca" in the classical music world for decades, the ceremony held for Gencer began with the arrival of the Süreyya boat carrying her ashes at the Dolmabahçe Shore.
The ceremony took start with a short speech delivered by Rengim Gökmen, General Manager of State Opera and Ballet, after which the İstanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Chorus performed Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem and the 5th, 12th and 13th parts of Ahmet Adnan Saygun's Yunus Emre Oratorio.
A group of 25 persons including Gencer's closest friends and her niece's family accompanied her on her voyage to eternity together with Zeynep Oral, Suat Ankan, Manager of İstanbul State Opera and Ballet, ambassador Şule Soysal and members of İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. Journalist and writer Zeynep Oral, who was close to the diva and and wrote her biography called Tutkunun Romanı (A Story of Passion) and Melahat Behlil, very close friend of Leyla Gencer scattered her ashes over the Bosphorus. Ambassador Şule Soysal, left a wreath of white roses to the sea.
Apart from Gencer's nephew İbrahim Çeyrek and his family, her friends, opera lovers and as a representative of the President, Zeynep Damla Gürel advisor to the president attended the farewell ceremony.
Friends of Leyla Gencer on the Süreyya Boat:
Melahat Behlil (Leyla Gencer's close friend)
Necla Ergeneli (Leyla Gencer's close friend)
Engin Cezzar (Leyla Gencer's cousin)
Gül Sakallı (Leyla Gencer's assistant)
Süleyman Özdemir (Leyla Gencer's private driver)
Yahya and Sevgi Üçer (Leyla Gencer's close friends)
Cemil İpekçi (Leyla Gencer's cousin)
Evin İlyasoğlu (Journalist–Writer)
Zeynep Oral (Journalist–Writer)
Şule Soysal (Repub. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Esthonia Ambassador)
Semih Yalman (Member of Doğuş Holding's Steering Committee)
Ömer Kayalıoğlu (HSBC Bank, Head of Corporate Communications Group)
Suat Arıkan (Manager of İstanbul State Opera and Ballet)
Ahmet Erenli (General Manager of Borusan Culture and Arts)
Melih Fereli (Board Member of Borusan Culture and Arts)
Hale Taşlı (İKSV, Leyla Gencer Voice Competition Coordinator)
Ömür Bozkurt (İKSV, Assistant General Director)
Zeliha Kaya (İKSV, Box Office and Protocol Manager)
Yeşim Gürer (İKSV, Director of İstanbul Music Festival)
After Leyla Gencer passed away pn May 10, Saturday in her house in Milan, an Islamic funeral was held by the imam of the Islamic congregation of Milan on Monday, May 12, followed by a ceremony in Teatro alla Scala's Santa Babila Church in Milan.
Leyla Gencer, one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th Century, spent her last years in Milan where she worked as the artistic director of the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala where she taught opera interpretation.
President of the Board of Trustees of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture Arts, Leyla Gencer has been supporting young singers through the Leyla Gencer Voice Competition held since 1995 in Istanbul.
Following Gencer's will, Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts will reserve a space for "Leyla Gencer Museum" in its new centre.
