Robbin bids farewell
World-renowned Canadian mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin is performing her final concert Monday night to pursue a career in teaching.
Robbin, who first garnered attention after winning two international competitions in Paris and Geneva, will play her farewell performance at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
"Teaching has really become my passion," said Robbin, who will become a full-time teacher at Toronto's York University. "It's the thing I want to give my life to now...I can give my full energies to teaching because it's a whole different set of energies."
Robbin, who's ending a 30-year music career, said she's looking forward to more time with family and less time in concert halls, hotel rooms and airports.
She established a long relationship with CBC Radio since singing for the first time as soloist in Beethoven's Mass C for the program "In Concert" in 1977.
Neil Crory, senior music producer with CBC Radio, said when he first started following Robbin's career, he compared her to the great English mezzo-soprano, Dame Janet Baker.
"But Catherine quickly got beyond that...developed a sense of style and sound uniquely her own - not a carbon copy of Janet Baker but uniquely Catherine Robbin, the great Canadian mezzo-soprano."
Robbin said she is astonished at what she has achieved in her career.
"I am kind of amazed, yes. I look back at all the work and the recordings and I think 'Gosh, that really was me.' Well here I am and it's all over...30 years gone in a flash."
