Semiha Cenap Berksoy (1910–2004) was Türkiye’s first female opera artist. She was active in theatre, opera, and painting, and throughout her artistic career she built bridges between performing arts and visual arts. Her prolific output across multiple artistic disciplines and her long-lasting career made her a significant figure in the history of Turkish performing arts during the Republic era.

Early Life and Education

Semiha Berksoy was born on 24 May 1910 in the Çengelköy neighborhood of Istanbul. Her father, Ziya Cenap Berksoy, was a finance clerk and poet; her mother, Fatma Saime Hanım, was a sculptor and painter. At the age of eight, she lost her mother to the Spanish flu pandemic, and shortly thereafter, her uncle Basri Cenap Bey, with whom she had moved to live, died of tuberculosis. These losses deeply affected her emotional development and her orientation toward art.

She began her primary education at Esma Han Kaya Sultan Primary School in Sultanahmet and completed it at Moda İnas Numune Primary School. The Kuşdili Theatre, located opposite her family’s home in Kuşdili, heightened her interest in performing arts. During her school years, she demonstrated notable achievements in drawing and composition. From childhood, she was engaged with theatre, painting, and literature.

Infographic on Semiha Berksoy’s life (Anadolu Agency)

Educational Journey

In 1928, she was admitted to the vocal class of Nimet Vahid Hanım, a renowned soprano and voice specialist, at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. During the same period, her paintings earned her a scholarship to the Namık İsmail Atelier of the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1929, she performed arias from Puccini and Rimsky-Korsakov in her first concert in Istanbul.

While receiving painting instruction at the academy, she continued to pursue performing arts. In 1930, she won the entrance examination for the Darülbedayi Theatre School by portraying the role of “Kate” in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The theatre training she received there refined her stage discipline and acting technique.

Özsoy Opera and Foreign Education

In 1934, she portrayed the role of “Ayşim” in Özsoy, the first Turkish opera composed by Ahmed Adnan Saygun at the request of Atatürk. This performance marked a pivotal turning point in her artistic career.

In 1936, she was accepted into the Opera Department of the Berlin State Higher Music Academy on a state scholarship. After completing her studies under Professor Paul Lohmann, she graduated with first-class honors in 1939. In the same year, she performed the title role of “Ariadne” in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, becoming the first Turkish soprano to appear on stage in Western Europe.

Opera Career in Türkiye

In 1940, she returned to Türkiye and gave her first concert with Cemal Reşit Rey. In 1941, she took the lead role in Tosca, directed by Carl Ebert, becoming the first Turkish artist to perform a professional opera in Türkiye. She later performed in works such as Madame Butterfly, Lüküs Hayat, and Deli Dolu. She played an active role in the founding of the Ankara State Opera and was appointed as a soloist of the institution in 1950.

From 1951 onward, she assumed leading roles in operas such as Tiefland, Tosca, and Fidelio. In 1952, she participated in the Beirut Festival and gave concerts both domestically and internationally. In 1954, she performed the role of “Mother” in Hansel and Gretel, and in 1955, she gave a concert at the Munich Culture Days.

Significant Opera Roles

• 1951 – Tiefland (Çukurova), “Marta”
• 1952 – Fidelio, “Leonore”
• 1961 – Hänsel und Gretel, “Hexe”
• 1963 – Il Trovatore, “Azucena”
• 1999 – The Days Before: Death, Destruction and Detroit III, Isolde’s aria

Theatre and Cinema Work

In 1931, she starred in the lead role of İstanbul Sokaklarında, Türkiye’s first sound film, directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul. In 1932, she joined the Darülbedayi ensemble and performed as a prima donna in major plays and Turkish operettas of the era.

She portrayed the character “Fatma” in Nazım Hikmet’s operetta Bu Bir Rüyadır. She also played leading roles in works by Cemal Reşit and Ekrem Reşit Rey.

From 1933 onward, she performed in both Turkish and foreign plays at the Istanbul City Theatre. She participated in the operetta Lüküs Hayat, staged as part of the Republic’s 10th anniversary celebrations.

In 1958, she joined the State Theatre ensemble. She appeared in works such as Macun Hokkası, İstanbul Efendisi, Dışarıdakiler, Kaneviçe, Karayar Köprüsü, Cadı Kazanı, and İvan İvanoviç Var mıydı Yok muydu?. Her success in character roles drew significant attention. During the 1960s, she primarily performed in Turkish plays and world classics. In 1963, she celebrated her jubilee with the role of “Azucena” in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

In 1972, she retired from the State Opera and Ballet as a dramatic soprano but continued her activities in theatre and other artistic fields.

Theatre Roles^【1】

• Bu Bir Rüyadır: Nazım Hikmet – Istanbul State Theatre – 2001
• Keşanlı Ali Destanı: Haldun Taner – Engin Cezzar Gülriz Sururi Theatre – 1966
• İstanbul Efendisi: Musahipzade Celal – Ankara State Theatre – 1965
• Yatık Emine: Refik Halit Karay/Nazım Kurşunlu – Ankara State Theatre – 1965
• Rüya Oyunu: August Strindberg – Ankara State Theatre – 1964
• Dumanlıda Telaki Var: Nazım Kurşunlu – Ankara State Theatre – 1964
• Çalıkuşu: Reşat Nuri Güntekin/Necati Cumalı – Ankara State Theatre – 1962
• Göç: Cevat Fehmi Başkut – Ankara State Theatre – 1961
• Macun Hokkası: Müsahipzade Celal – Ankara State Theatre – 1961
• Lütfen Dokunmayın: Haldun Taner – Ankara State Theatre – 1961
• Kanaviçe: Turgut Özakman – Ankara State Theatre – 1960
• Büyük Jüstinyen: Refik Erduran – Ankara State Theatre – 1960
• Karayar Köprüsü: Redik Erduran – Ankara State Theatre – 1959
• Felsefe Doktoru: Branislav Nušić – Ankara State Theatre – 1959
• Tablodaki Adam: Cevat Fehmi Başkut – Ankara State Theatre – 1958
• Cadı Kazanı: Arthur Miller – Ankara State Theatre – 1958
• Dışarıdakiler: Haldun Taner – Ankara State Theatre – 1957
• Korku: Orhan Asena – Ankara State Theatre – 1956
• Bu Gece Başka Gece: Reşat Nuri Güntekin – Ankara State Theatre – 1956
• Dünkü Çocuk: Garson Kanin – Ankara State Theatre – 1955
• Yaşlı Aile: Branislav Nušić – Ankara State Theatre – 1954
• Çayhane: John Patrick – Ankara State Theatre – 1954
• Lady Frederick: W. Somerset Maugham – Ankara State Theatre – 1953
• Elektra: Sophocles – Ankara State Theatre – 1952
• Miras: Augustus Goetz – Ankara State Theatre – 1951
• Köşebaşı: Ahmet Kutsi Tecer – Ankara State Theatre – 1951

Painting and Other Artistic Activities

From 1929 onward, she pursued painting at the Namık İsmail Atelier. She produced works in sculpture and ceramics. From the 1960s, she focused primarily on painting. She held exhibitions in Berlin in 1969, Paris in 1972, Ankara in 1973, and at the Istanbul AKM Art Gallery in 1982. Her works were exhibited in Moscow and Leningrad in 1985. In 1995, the Semiha Berksoy Opera Foundation was established to preserve her legacy and protect her works.

Awards and Honors

• 1961 – Faculty of Language, History and Geography Painting Prize
• 1984 – Atatürk Opera Prize
• 1998 – Title of State Artist
• Various national and international honorary awards

Semiha Berksoy’s Funeral Ceremony (Anadolu Agency)

Later Years and Death

In 1996, she participated in Kutluğ Ataman’s project “Semiha b. Unplugged.” In 1998, she was awarded the title of State Artist. In 2003, a retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the İş Sanat Kibele Art Gallery.

Semiha Berksoy passed away on 15 August 2004 at the age of 94. Her funeral prayer was held at Teşvikiye Camii. She was laid to rest in Çengelköy, the neighborhood where she was born.