The Hunter Opera Theater (HOT) is the resident opera company of Hunter College. HOT specializes in contemporary opera, and is dedicated to performing the music by composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. HOT has presented numerous performance premieres since its inception, and their productions provide unique opportunities for talented, young artists to sing leading roles in contemporary masterworks while studying and performing roles from the standard repertoire through repertoire and scenes classes. HOT’s biannual Pocket Opera Project supports the work of up-and-coming composers and librettists and fosters interdepartmental collaborations between Hunter students.

In addition, HOT singers have the opportunity to work with some of the finest professionals in the business in our annual series of Master Classes. Recent guest teachers on this series include such luminaries as Martina Arroyo, Claudia Catania, Warren Jones, Andreas Scholl, Ira Siff, and Willie Anthony Waters. HOT alumni are engaged as performers in excellent venues around the world from the Metropolitan Opera to festivals and opera houses in France, Germany, and beyond.

Many alums have continued on to pursue doctoral degrees and work in higher education while others have made careers in arts administration and work as producers, directors, and more. HOT was founded in 2007 by Professor Susan Gonzalez and the late Professor Richard Burke, and has been a proud member of the NY Opera Alliance since 2014.