Background
She was born in Istanbul, Turkey, granddaughter of General Osman Nuri Koptagel, a commander in the Turkish War of Independence.
She was born in Istanbul, Turkey, granddaughter of General Osman Nuri Koptagel, a commander in the Turkish War of Independence.
Koptagel studied music with the composer and conductor Cemal Resit Rey and later with Alexander Tansman, José Cubiles, Tony Aubin, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Lazare Levy in Paris and Madrid.
Her maternal great grandfather Abdul Karim Khan Tareen, a physician, had migrated from Multan (then in undivided India, now Pakistan) and had settled in Istanbul, adopting the name Abdul Karim Bey. After completing her studies, Koptagel took a position with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra and worked as a pianist and composer. In the 1960s (during the regime of Ayub Khan Tareen (no relation)) she visited Multan to trace her maternal roots and met the descendants of siblings of Abdul Karim Tareen.
(- Yüksel Koptagel - DURAND - Editions Durand - 2002 - 9 P...)