She starred on Broadway in the title role of My Darlin’ Aida & sang a season of Gilbert and Sullivan at the Mark Hellinger Theater in New York.
She was a regular at the New York City Opera during the 1950s and 1960s with leading roles in Love for Three Oranges, Carmen (Micaela), Turandot (Liù), La Bohème (Mimi) and Don Giovanni (Zerlina).
On the International stage she appeared at a number of opera houses and major music festivals in the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.
Malbin then starred in NBC Television Operas, some available for viewing at the Paley Center, including I Pagliacci, Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, Salome, Dialogues of the Carmelites, the world premiere of Norman Dello Joio's A Trial at Rouen and La Traviata.
She returned to the stage in January 1979 as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She also gave a recital at Alice Tully Hall the same year.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Malbin started studying singing as a child and made her professional recital debut at the young age of 14 at New York City's Town Hall on March 31, 1945.
[5] On April 18, 1950, she made her first appearance at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts singing with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra in an evening honoring Margaret Truman.
[10] On July 12, 1950, she performed the role of Jenny in Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley in a concert version with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Maurice Levine.
[12] The following month she sang with the company in two more productions, singing Frasquita in Georges Bizet's Carmen[13] and Zerlina in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni.
[15] In March 1951 Malbin made her first performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra singing the soprano solos in a production of Bach's St Matthew Passion at Rutgers University.
[20] Shortly thereafter she made her United Kingdom debut portraying Marsinah in the original West End cast of Kismet at the Stoll Theatre.
[23] The following year she portrayed the role of Joan of Arc in the world premiere of Norman Dello Joio's The Trial at Rouen which was composed for the NBC Television Opera Theatre.
[25] On February 10, 1958, she performed the role of Mimi in La Bohème for the inaugural of the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company opposite John Alexander as Rodolfo.
The following October she made her debut with the San Francisco Opera singing the soprano solos in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
[5] From 1963 to 1964 Malbin toured the United States with the San Carlo Opera Company portraying the roles of Madama Butterfly and Mimi.