Billy Ray Hunter

A native of Austin, TX, Billy Hunter has been Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2004.  He enjoys a versatile career in the classical music world that includes Orchestral, Chamber, and Solo performances. He has recently rejoined the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.

In addition to his yearly work with the MET, Mr. Hunter has appeared as Guest Principal Trumpet with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur, The Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Germany, The Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina and the Chineke! Orchestra in London. He has also had concerts with the New York Philharmonic, New Jersey, Dallas, and Boston symphonies throughout his professional career. He has held previous positions of Principal Trumpet, Second Trumpet, and Third Associate Trumpet with the New World, Baltimore, and Grant Park Symphony Orchestras respectively.

As a chamber musician Mr. Hunter has concertized with the MET Chamber Ensemble, Classical Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Napa Valley Chamber Orchestra and with the Music Kitchen concert series in Lower Manhattan which

features free lunchtime performances of various types of music for different homeless shelters across Manhattan.

As a soloist, Mr. Hunter has performed with several different ensembles including the UT Wind ensemble and Symphony, York Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, NJCU wind ensemble and Symphony, Lake Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Prizm festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, Serafic Fire and Firebird Chamber Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, and the Chineke!Orchestra. In addition to this, Mr. Hunter has also appeared as recitalist at several venues nationwide, in Europe, Africa and  Asia. His awards include the Roger Voisin Outstanding trumpeter prize from the Tanglewood Music Center in the Berkshires and first prize in the Kingsville International Solo Competition Brass Division. In 2010 he was granted the University of Texas Outstanding Young Texas-Exes award, one of the highest honors granted to alumni.  He is also the recipient of 3 Grammy Awards for playing Principal Trumpet in the MET Opera performances of John Adams “Doctor Atomic”, Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”, and most recently George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess”.

Mr. Hunter has  given masterclasses nationally and internationally with several universities and schools including Curtis, Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale, James Madison, Michigan State, Memphis and Pittsburgh State universities, Stellenbosch University in South Africa and various venues in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to this he is a frequent coach for the New York Youth Symphony in Manhattan, The New World Symphony in Miami,  and the National Youth Orchestra. He been on faculty in the past with the Peabody Institute, Aspen Music Festival, NJCU and the University of Texas at Austin. His teachers were Raymond Crisara, Raymond Mase, Harry Shapiro, and Mark Gould.