Fatma Ceren Necipoğlu (18 January 1973 – 1 June 2009) was a Turkish

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

ist and university lecturer for piano and harp. She was aboard

Air France Flight 447 Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France. On 1 June 2009, inconsistent airspeed indications and mi ...

from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, which crashed in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

on 1 June 2009.

Life and career

She was born on 18 January 1973 to Vedat Necipoğlu and his wife Selçuk. She had an elder sister Ayşe İmre (Tüylü). During her high school education at the

Deutsche Schule Istanbul Deutsche Schule Istanbul (, shortened as DSI), with formal Turkish language, Turkish name Özel Alman Lisesi () or İstanbul Alman Lisesi () or simply Alman Lisesi () is a Private school, private international high school in the Beyoğlu district o ...

, Fatma Ceren Necipoğlu attended conservatories of Istanbul City and

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

to learn playing harp. Following her highschool graduation in 1992, she studied at the Department of Translation and Interpreting in

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

, and received an under-graduate degree in 1997. She went to the United States to study at the Department of Harp ın Louisiana State University School of Music, where she graduated in 1999. Later, she enrolled in the Harp Department of

Jacobs School of Music The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music. It has more than 1,500 students, approximately half of whom ar ...

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

and graduated in 2001. Having returned to Turkey, she joined the Regional State Symphony Orchestra in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, and later became lecturer for piano and harp at the

Anadolu University Anadolu University () is a public university in Eskişehir, Turkey. Anadolu University Distance Education Faculty (or Anadolu University Global Campus) serves as the national provider of distance education and is a member of the European Associ ...

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

. She was invited to the Fourth Rio Harp Festival to perform two recitals, and was on her way back home via Paris aboard Air France Flight 447. Brazilian military planes found debris and dead bodies about 600 miles off Brazil's northeastern coast five days later from the disappearance of the aircraft. Necipoğlu gave numerous recitals and concerts in Turkey and abroad. She also received many international awards.

Memorial service

Two and a half years after the accident, the body of Necipoğlu was recovered from the ocean bed and flown to Turkey. Her remains were laid to rest on 24 November 2011 in Kanlıca Cemetery,

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 ...

following a religious service at the

Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque () is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Necipoglu, Fatma Ceren 1973 births 2009 deaths Musicians from Istanbul Turkish expatriates in the United States Turkish harpists Turkish classical musicians Deutsche Schule Istanbul alumni Boğaziçi University alumni Jacobs School of Music alumni Louisiana State University School of Music alumni Academic staff of Anadolu University Air France Flight 447 victims 20th-century Turkish classical musicians