hiː fˈɜːst pɚfˈɔːɹmd æt ðə mˌɛtɹəpˈɑːlɪtən ˈɑːpɚɹə ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk sˈɪɾi æz ðə nˈaɪt wˈɑːtʃmən ɪn wˈæɡnɚz dˈaɪ mˈaɪstɚsɪŋɚ vˈɑːn nˈuːənbˌɜːɡ, wˌɛɹ hiː hɐz pɚfˈɔːɹmd pɹˈæktɪkli ˈɛvɹi jˈɪɹ sˈɪns, æz fˈæsoʊlt, kˈɪŋ ʌv ˈiːdʒɪpt ɪn vˈɜːdiz ˈeɪdə ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti sˈɛvən, ðɪ ˈoʊld hˈiːbɹuː ɪn sˈæmsən ˈɛt dælˈɪlə baɪ sˈeɪntsˈæɛnz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt, kˈɪŋ mˈɑːɹk ɪn wˈæɡnɚz tɹˈɪstən ˈʌnd ˈaɪsoʊld ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, ˌɛskɐmˈɪloʊ ɪn bˈɪzɪts kˈɑːɹmɛn ænd ɹˈɑːkoʊ ɪn fᵻdˈɛlɪˌoʊ ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd, ˈoːɹst ɪn ᵻlˈɛktɹə baɪ ɹˈɪtʃɚd stɹˈɔːs ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈuː, ɡˈɜːnɪmˌænts ˈaɪ wˈæɡnɚz pˈɑːɹsɪfəl ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θɹˈiː, lˌɛpoːɹˈɛloʊ ɪn dˈɑːn dʒəvˈɑːni ænd kˈɪŋ mˈɑːɹk ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ, mˌeɪfɪstəfˈeɪlz ɪn ɡˈaʊnɑːdz fˈɔːst ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv, kˈɪŋ hˈaɪnɹɪtʃ, kˈɪŋ fˈɪlɪp, ænd sæɹˈæstɹoʊ ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks, bˈæŋkwoʊ ɪn vˈɜːdiz məkbˈɛθ ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt, fˈæsoʊlt, hˈʌndɪŋ ɪn wˈæɡnɚz dˈaɪ wˈɔːkuːɹə ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd nˈaɪn, ænd ðə tˈaɪɾəl ɹˈoʊl ʌv mʌsˈoːɹɡskiz bˈɔːɹɪs ɡˈɑːdʒuːnˌɑːv ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈɛn.
He first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as the Night Watchman in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, where he has performed practically every year since, as Fasolt, King of Egypt in Verdi's Aida in 1997, the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns in 1998, King Marke in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in 1999, Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen and Rocco in Fidelio in 2000, Orest in Elektra by Richard Strauss in 2002, Gurnemanz i Wagner's Parsifal in 2003, Leporello in Don Giovanni and King Marke in 2004, Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust in 2005, King Heinrich, King Philip, and Sarastro in 2006, Banquo in Verdi's Macbeth in 2008, Fasolt, Hunding in Wagner's Die Walküre in 2009, and the title role of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in 2010.