Jaklin Çarkçı (, born 1958) is a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

of the Istanbul State Opera in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Life

Born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

to a family of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent, Jaklin was introduced to opera at an early age by her father, Jirayr Çarkçı, who was one of the first soloists of the Istanbul State Opera theater. She is a graduate of the Liceo Italiano school in Istanbul. Jaklin Çarkçı's career began with a 1988 debut as Azuncena in

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's Il trovatore at the Istanbul State Opera. As a result of her success as a soloist, the State Opera Ballet selected her to become a part of its soloist staff. She became well known for her over 150 performances as the title character of the famous opera

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

. She toured and performed in places such as Belarus,

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, and

Solothurn Solothurn ( ; ; ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains. The town is ...

. After being awarded the "Prime Ministry Information and Good Manners Scholarship" by the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 1993 and 1994, she went to Italy where she worked with renowned conductors and stage managers such as Robert Wagner, Roberto Benzi, Lucas Caritions, Letizia Cavani, Giancarlo del Monaco. She has also worked with sopranos such as

Leyla Gencer Leyla Gencer (, née Çeyrekgil; 10 October 192810 May 2008) also known as La Diva Turca was a Turkish operatic soprano. Gencer was a notable '' bel canto'' soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980 ...

and was taught by Carlo Bergonzi and Giacomo Aragall. In 2005 in

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, she won the first place in the

Umberto Giordano Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano (28 August 186712 November 1948) was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. His best-known work in that genre was Andrea Chénier (1896). He was born in Foggia in Apulia, southern Italy, and studied under Paolo Se ...

Singing Contest. Çarkçı also won first place representing Turkey in the Renata Tabeladi Singing Contest, with 99.3 points out of 100. Çarkçı speaks Armenian, Italian, English, Turkish, Latin and Spanish. Jaklin Çarkçı's lung capacity is 115% (an average person being 100%) which she claims allows her to sing better. Çarkçı claims that she is not only a musician but sees herself as a good example of a contemporary Turkish woman. In her own words: "I am the secular woman of Atatürk's Turkey (''Atatürk Türkiye'sinin laik kadınıyım''").

Legacy

Her daughter Sirel Yakupoğlu is also an artist of the Istanbul State Opera.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carkci, Jaklin 1958 births Musicians from Istanbul Liceo Italiano alumni Turkish mezzo-sopranos 20th-century Turkish women opera singers 21st-century Turkish women opera singers Turkish people of Armenian descent Living people

Life

Legacy

See also

References

External links