A memorial was held in the Italian city of Milan on Monday for Turkish soprano, Leyla Gencer, who died of respiratory and cardiac failure in Italy last Saturday.

- 13 / 05 / 2008 08:11

A memorial was held in the Italian city of Milan on Monday for a Turkish soprano who died of respiratory and cardiac failure in Italy last Saturday.

The memorial for Leyla Gencer took place at the historical Santa Babila Church, close to the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Gencer's relatives, friends and students attended the funeral.

After the ceremony, Gencer's body was taken to the Milano Lambrate cemetery where she will be cremated on Wednesday.

Her ashes will then be brought to Istanbul, Turkey and will be spread to the Bosphorus during a ceremony to take place at Ortakoy neighborhood on Friday. 
    
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.