Hastings teenager Emmanuel Fuimaono could have played rugby but chose opera.
When the 16-year-old tenor from Hastings Boys' High School tentatively put his name forward to be part of Project Prima Volta last year, he could not have foreseen the transformation.
Singing had always been a part of life, he was vocal at church and sung in a barbershop group with two of his brothers at school, but opera was never on the radar. That all changed when he joined a youth initiative run by Hawke's Bay company Festival Opera, which has seen him tune into a natural talent to produce something truly special.
"I listen to mainly opera now, I always thought opera was old stuff but it's a lot of fun. I like the people and the music - it's technical and different," he said.
"In Year 11, I got a little serious about it. I enjoy it, there's sports like rugby but if you get injured it's no good ... [opera] uses your whole body and when you hit the right note, it just feels good."