Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has announced her retirement from the stage.

The 73-year-old soprano announced the news on BBC after having stopped performing a year ago.

Her final performance was a concert in the Australian city of Ballarat last October. She noted, “Before I’d gone on, I said, right, this it. And that was the end.”

During the interview, Te Kanawa also revealed that she did not miss the stage or singing. “I’ve had such an amazing career. I don’t want to hear my voice – it is in the past. When I’m teaching young singers and hearing beautiful young fresh voices, I don’t want to put my voice next to theirs.”

The New Zealand-born performer shot to fame in 1971 after being cast as the Countess in “The Marriage of Figaro” at Covent Garden.

Te Kanawa was well known for her work in Strauss and Mozart. She also made forays into Verdi and Puccini and is well-known for her recording of “West Side Story.” She founded founded the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation and heads the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World jury  every two years.