Kobin acted on Broadway and in regional theater — often using her maiden name Joan Bartels and later Christine Bartel — in such shows as Call Me Mister, Carnival!, and Gypsy. She later became a singing teacher, whose many students included Barbara Cook, Liza Minnelli, Arlene Dahl, Eileen Fulton, and Carly Simon.
She was married twice, to Robert Kobin and Whitney Goodfirend, both of whom predeceased her.
