He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in this role in 1988, opposite Catherine Malfitano and Tatiana Troyanos, in John Dexter's production conducted by James Levine.
Hamilton appeared regularly with the companies of Leipzig, Dresden, Buenos Aires, and Berlin (Staatsoper) in the roles of Florestan (Fidelio), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos), Lohengrin, and Walther von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), appearing as Stolzing in a Staatsoper tour of Japan.
Hamilton made his Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie debut in 1988, in Lulu.
In 1990 he sang the important role of St Simeon Stylites in Hans Zender's Stephen Climax.
Some of his recordings are: Orpheus und Eurydice (of Krenek, 1990) and Stephen Climax (with Dale Duesing, conducted by Sylvain Cambreling, 1990) and, on DVD, Wozzeck (as the Drum-Major, opposite Duesing, 1996).