The William Evans Associate Professor in Voice and former singer officially retires on Monday after 25 years' teaching at the University of Otago's Marama Hall.
During her time at the university, she had taught about 300 students - training soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, bass and baritone voices, she said.
She felt she was ready to move on, Associate Prof Bellingham (68) said. Her students and colleagues farewelled her with a special concert, including a song called You are 60 going on 70 based on the Sound of Music number.
"I'm having to be staunch because my students are very disappointed, but I know that I am doing the right thing for me," she said.
She would be replaced by a "very fine successor", New York-trained Dr Tessa Romano, who was arriving in mid-June to begin teaching in the second semester.
Prof Bellingham stopped singing only five years ago, and said she would remain in Dunedin and still teach privately in her retirement.
Next week, after performing at the university's 150th celebrations this weekend she would begin a long-awaited holiday - travelling to Copenhagen and the Cardiff Singer of the World competition before visiting family.
Prof Bellingham said her interest in music began when she was a child living in Wainuiomata - and her parents bought her a 25 piano, which was held together with Sellotape.
She said she had unusual musical tastes for a child, and once wrote into a radio show requesting Schubert's Mass in G.
"Music's always been a part of my life," she said.
During her time as a lecturer she taught a wide variety of students, including mature students, she said.
Many of her graduates travelled overseas, and among the most successful were Stephen Chambers, who was singing in Germany at present, and opera singer Robert Tucker.
