After more than four decades on the world's top opera stages,

acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denise Graves took her final bow recently

and is now devoting herself to teaching the next generation.

Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown joined Graves

in the days leading up to her farewell for our arts and culture series, Canvas. When I would love me,

my foe, I don't see

not.

In opera, Denise Graves says there's enormous focus on how to make it. But not so much on how or when to leave it.

With all of the preparation and with all of our attention sort of centered around, what

does it take to actually get into the world's greatest opera house?

What does that require?

And then when you're there, when is it time after you've done that?

If you're lucky, when is it time to sort of bow out gracefully?

There's not a lot of guidance for that.

No, not at all. Now she's done just that with a final series of performances in George Gershwin's classic

Porgy and Bess.

Repreasing a role in a production first presented in 2019 at the Metropolitan Opera, one of the

grandest stages of all.

But nobody ain't going to pedal no home.

There was a supporting, not starring role.

And that, she told us with a laugh in the Met's renowned hall,

just days before her final time on stage,

...