In 1946, Hines made his debut at the Met as the Sergeant in "Boris Godunov". He went on to sing forty-one seasons there, encompassing forty-five roles in thirty-nine operas. During this time he pursued further voice studies with Samuel Margolis and Vladimir Rosing. In 1953, he made his European debut with Glyndebourne Festival as Nick Shadow at the Edinburgh Festival in the first British performances of Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress". In 1958, he made his debut at La Scala in the title role of George Frideric Handel's "Hercules". From 1958 to 1963, he sang at Bayreuth in the roles of Gurnemanz, King Mark and Wotan.