Gencer, Leyla (1924–2008)

Turkish soprano. She sang Santuzza in Ankara in 1950 and in Naples, in 1953, on her Italian debut. She has sung at La Scala, Milan, since 1956, and appeared in the first performance of Poulenc's Les Carmélites in 1957. Her US debut was in San Francisco in 1956, and she performed at Glyndebourne 1962–65 as Countess Almaviva and Anna Bolena. She sang Maria Stuarda and Rossini's Elisabetta at Edinburgh in 1969 and 1972. She was a specialist in the less-frequently heard Italian operas of the 19th century.