Marija LEMIC

CANBERRA - Daniel Goodwin might not be a household name just yet, but there is no doubt this young man of part Croatian background may well develop into a very famous identity in years to come.

Who is he, one may well ask? Well, firstly, the talented young up and coming Canberra opera singer is the son of one of Canberra's devoted Croatian Ethnic School teachers and a prominent member of the local community, Marija Goodwin (nee Bonic).

Marija has raised a polite and respectable boy, who today has developed into an amazing man and a sophisticated entertainer to boot. In fact he is one of a very rare kind - a ''Countertenor Opera'' singer.

Daniel's enormous potential was discovered purely by chance, by a university friend during Daniel's second year of his musical (oboe) degree at Canberra's ANU.

On the way to a rehearsal, Daniel was mocking his friend, while she was warming her vocal chords. When she heard the sound that was coming out of his lungs, she commented that Daniel had a really good falsetto.

At that time, he had no idea what that meant, for he had never sung before. Daniel was mentioned about to his friend's teacher, and six months later Daniel's life changed. He took up singing lessons in Sydney, before selling his musical instruments.

In 2003 Daniel was an understudy in a stage performance of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. That was when he realised how big his singing career could be.

The moment he started to sing, deep down he knew he was put on this earth to use his voice for entertainment purposes.

''The comfort to express my musicianship began to feel so much easier, more colourful. As soon as I started singing, it just took off, and that was about 13 years ago. And I haven't looked back. It's been hard work, but it's been a journey, like a wonderful relationship. It just gets bigger and the opportunities keep coming,'' Goodwin explained, with a genuine sense of pride and passion.

Daniel is quick to add that his Croatian heritage helped him along the way.

''Without a doubt, having a second language around me all my life, has taught my brain how to pick up different language, as I have a passion for languages. For a singer, that is one of the basic principles - to learn languages. Italian, French, German, and English are the main languages I sing in, with a bit of Russian, and having my Croatian background has given me ten years head start,'' he explained.

If given the opportunity, Daniel would love to perform in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana or Croatia's Dubrovnik - within the confines of the historical and architecturally magnificent old town, where many breathtaking musical festivals have been staged.

Down the track, later on in life, Daniel would like to one day teach others to sing. At this point of Daniel's career, however, he says he needs to get out there and sing to more audiences, beyond Canberra, Sydney, London, and Hamburg.

As the principle countertenor, Daniel will debut with Victorian Opera in the upcoming performance of ''The Coronation of Poppea'', starting on Friday 18th July 2008, at the South Melbourne Town Hall.

Daniel will be performing the role of Ottone, the jilted lover of the social climber who wants to be Nero's Empress of Rome around the period of 65AD.

''There's a heart wrenching musical score, murder plots, lust, tears, mania, hype, and fantastic vocals. All combined in a three hour show. You will feel love, hate or mixed emotions for each character that is introduced throughout the course of the show,'' said an excited Daniel.

The show is currently scheduled for a brief ten-day run, so opportunities to see Daniel in action are limited.