- Born
- Died
- Birth nameLeyla Ceyrekgil
- Nickname
- La Diva Turca
- Gencer was born in Turkey. Her mother was from Poland and her father from Turkey. She began studying at the Istanbul Conservatory and later she took private lessons in Ankara with the famous Italian soprano Giannina Arangi-Lombardi. She later sang in the chorus of the Turkish State Opera until she made her operatic debut in Ankara in 1950 as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Gencer made her Italian debut at the San Carlo in Naples as Santuzza (1953)and in 1962 her debut at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with Don Carlo. She sung in the USA in 1956 in Francesca da Rimini. In 1985, she retired from the stage, however, she continued to appear in rare concerts until 1992. Recently,she appointed by La Scala to run its school for young artists. She gives master classes, as well.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Amphipolis
- SpouseIbrahim Gencer(1946 - ?) (his death)
- Opera singer (soprano).
- She lives and teaches in Milan (Italy)
- I actually cried on stage. Once in a while a note would issue forth that was not orthodox. That's why the American critics don't like me. But I don't care. They want a music with water and soap.
- Yes, I am severe. But I've grown a little sweeter with age-I think. Still, I say things I shouldn't, yet I say them. It's not a good idea, it doesn't help things. I should be more diplomatic, more false. I'm not like that. At my age, I can't change, can I?
- Harmony teaches you something - not to read only the melody but to read everything - the orchestra as well. And so if you are a student, if you know harmony, you can also read the part of the orchestra, which will help you very much in your expression. It's a great help because one hears how the part he is to sing is constructed.
- You must always seek to adapt the voice to the score. The voice must not be of one color alone. It must be like an artist's palette and have many colors. You cannot sing Lucia and Forza with the same voice. They have different ranges of color, they express different sentiments. You must find the right expression and the right color. When I began to sing the more dramatic operas, my voice became thicker, the color more burnished and perhaps also more interesting.
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