 In 1959, Macurdy made his New York City Opera debut, as Dr Wilson in "Street Scene (opera)".Among his other roles there, until 1962, were Jabez Stone in "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the Basso Cantante in "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (world premiere, with Beverly Sills), William Jennings Bryan in "The Ballad of Baby Doe", Mr Earnshaw in "Wuthering Heights" (opposite Phyllis Curtin and Patricia Neway), Créon in "Œdipus rex" (conducted by Leopold Stokowski), Colline in "La bohème", Timur in "Turandot", President Prexy in "The Cradle Will Rock", a Priest in "Il prigioniero" (with Treigle), Sparafucile in "Rigoletto", Don Alfonso in "Così fan tutte", the King of Egypt (later Ramfis) in "Aïda", Reb Bashevi in Abraham Ellstein's "The Golem" (world premiere), and the Reverend John Hale in "The Crucible (opera)" (with Chester Ludgin).He made a return to that ensemble in 1979, for a single performance of Raimondo Bidebent in "Lucia di Lammermoor".