(b. 1921) Auditioned at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1946, launching a 41-season career as a highly-acclaimed operatic
basso there. He appeared in such Met productions as
Boris Godunov,
Faust (as
Mephistopheles), and
Don Giovanni. His final Met performance was in
Rigoletto in 1987. Mr. Hines is an honorary trustee of the
Composers Guild of New Jersey.
I'm not a fan of
opera - I'd generally rather listen to
Stacey Q. My brother-in-law painted a portrait of Mr. Hines for the Met in 1993, and convinced him to come sing with the church choir for a benefit Christmas concert. I'd never heard of Mr. Hines before then. I was leaning heavily on the church to nourish and temper my (then)
new-found faith, and one of the ways I involved myself was singing in the choir (tenor, or bass in a pinch). So, I get to say I've sung onstage with a world-famous opera singer.