THE excitement in Damien Hall’s voice is palpable as he tells me about the coming harbour production of “Carmen” for Opera Australia.

He even hums a little bit from the toreadors’ chorus.

Hall, you see, is in the chorus for this second manifestation of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, grand opera staged on a pontoon at the foot of Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquarie’s Point.

“Carmen’s got the greatest hits that’ll have the average punter humming the tunes on the way home,” he says, “it’s really thrilling.”

OA has gone over the top, too, describing Carmen as “the fiery seductress” and Don Jose as “the lovestruck soldier”, while the set will feature six Hollywood-style letters spelling out “Carmen”.

Hall is plainly a happy man. He was in the chorus last year for “La Traviata” on the harbour and tells “CityNews” about the sheer excitement of the venture.

“This kind of performance is not so much a night of entertainment, but is an event,” Hall says.

“They really hit the nail on the head with ‘Traviata’,” he says. “It felt like walking into space with all the fairy lights, the night sky above, there was something magical about it.”

And just as last year, there will be spectacular fireworks at the end.

At 39, Hall may seem to be a latecomer to opera, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Raised in Queanbeyan, where his mum still lives, he trained under Canberra singing teacher Patricia Davey, who also taught soprano Lorina Gore.

After appearing in shows such as “My Fair Lady” and “Les Miserables”, and taking on the presidency of Canberra Philharmonic, he auditioned in 2006 for “Operatunity Oz”, got to the semi-finals and, almost immediately, was offered a role in the chorus for OA’s “The Pirates of Penzance”.

With two thirds of his year now occupied with OA, Hall loves where he is.

“I don’t personally feel the pressure to become a principal,” he says.

“I got over the desire to grandstand by doing all those principal roles in Canberra. It would be a gift beyond description to be a full-time chorister with Opera Australia.”

Whether you’re Milijana Nikolic playing Carmen or Hall playing a toreador, the challenge is the same – “how to maintain contact with your audience, it’s a big space to fill.”

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: “Carmen”, March 22-April 12, bookings to operaonsydneyharbour.com.au or ticketmaster.com.au