Daniel Rodriguez (born May 24, 1964) is an American operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

, due to his role as one of the department's designated

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

singers. In the aftermath of the

September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, he received widespread attention with his rendition of " God Bless America", which he sang at memorial events and on television. This led to an offer of formal training from

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

. Rodriguez has recorded numerous albums and appeared as lead tenor in several operas. He regularly appears in support of his chosen charities, as well as performing a full domestic and international concert schedule.

Early years

Rodriguez, born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, was the first of two children born to Carmen and Jose Rodriguez, who had

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

from

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

as teenagers. Rodriguez' father and grandfather were both tenors, and other family members played various musical instruments. He cites the singing of

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...

as an early musical influence after seeing the movie '' The Great Caruso''.Officer.com Former-NYC-Officer-Found-Mission-in-Singing
Retrieved December 3, 2008. At the age of ten, he began a serious study of music.
Duarte, Patricia; Puerto Rico Herald; September 6, 2002; Retrieved on January 9, 2007. His teen years were spent studying, and later as assistant director at the American Youth Repertory Company in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, under the tutelage of

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

trained Elliot Dorfman. During his early years, he also studied with

's Aldo Bruschi, as well as Miraslov Markoff from the Moscow Ballet and Opera company. Rodriguez performed in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

Del Terzo recital hall at age 16. After he married at 19 and had a son, Rodriguez put music on hold, as he worked at a series of jobs, including short-order cook, caterer, taxi driver, truck driver, and postal worker, before joining the police force. At age 25, he returned to music, by performing in concerts he developed himself, organizing an ensemble of musicians called ''Broadway Magic'', performing around New York at retirement communities, churches, and for local charities.

Career highlights

Rodriguez entered the New York City Police Academy in 1995. After singing at his own graduation, he was chosen as one of the designated

singers in the

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's ceremonial division. New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who had seen Rodriguez perform at various events, used his influence to arrange an audition for him at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

. His lack of classical training proved an insurmountable obstacle, however, and the Met dismissed him after he had sung but two notes. In June 2001, Rodriguez was the subject of a Cable News Network special about a New York City police officer who sang at

. He was driving to work over the Verrazano Bridge in New York City at the time of the September 11 terrorist attack, and was two blocks away from the World Trade Center when it collapsed. "I lived the horrors of 9/11 and made peace with God several times that day, and said goodbye to my family once or twice, and realized I was meant to stick around and do something positive with my life." He would spend the next several months working at

Ground zero A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

, interrupted only by requests to sing at official functions, memorials, and media events.When tragedy meets capitalism
Murphy, Chuck; St. Petersburg Times; September 2, 2002; Retrieved on January 9, 2007 Rodriguez performed the national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" at "Prayer for America" on September 23, 2001, at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

. He once again sang the national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" in the 75th

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

as a special tribute to the 9/11 attacks. He was soon appearing on news and talk shows including, ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

'', ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...

'', ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

'', ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', "

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

", and '' Live with Regis and Kelly''. He was also interviewed in 2002 and 2005 on ''Christopher Close-up''. Rodriguez has been quoted as saying "Watching the Twin Towers collapse didn't make me sing any better. But the passion for the music has changed and for what I represent: The comfort and the feeling of national pride that I bring now more than I did before." He performed at the September 23, 2001 "Prayer For America" concert, honoring the victims of the September 11 terror attacks.

, who was also on the bill, heard him sing and invited him to attend the Domingo/Vilar Young Artists Institute in Washington D.C. for 18 months of opera study. After seven years as a police officer and then finally gaining national recognition as a singer, he explains, "I wasn't a cop who started singing; I was a singer who became a cop...I've been given the gift to sing. I sing for those who have lost loved ones." At Carnegie Hall's 111th season opening, October 2001, he sang "God Bless America", with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

in a tribute to 9/11. He also signs his first recording contract in October 2001 offered by Manhattan Record Company's

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

and Ian Ralfini. Rodriguez was the first artist to sign with newly re-activated Manhattan, a division of EMI. In Mardin's life story, he describes Rodriguez as "golden voiced". His debut performance before a worldwide audience occurred when he sang " God Bless America" at the opening ceremonies of the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. June 13, 2002, saw his first public concert backed by full symphony orchestra at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall with the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra is resident at Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Since 2008, the orchestra's music director is Manfred Ho ...

conducted by Lucas Richman. August 2002, Rodriguez performed at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

in "The Great American Concert: New York, New York" with John Mauceri conducting. Broadcast on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

in 2003, he sang the US national anthem at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

, and returned in 2008 to perform at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

for the Allstate 400

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

Sprint Cup. In 2004, he was part of a concert hosted by CNN anchor

Paula Zahn Paula Ann Zahn (; born February 24, 1956) is an American journalist and newscaster who has been an anchor at ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series '' On the Case with Paula Zahn' ...

, and TV personality

Pat Sajak Patrick Leonard Sajak ( ; né , born October 26, 1946) is an American game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. He is best known as the host of the television game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position which he held fr ...

. along with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall in, in tribute to Fred Rogers, better known to children around the world as Mister Rogers. With his emerging success as a singer of both popular and classical music, he retired from the New York City Police Department in May 2004, to pursue music full-time. The following year he performed at a Memorial Mass at New York City's Cathedral of Saint Patrick, for

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years. Rainier was born at the Prince's Pal ...

who died April 6, 2005. In 2004 Rodríguez performed with the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

, as host of the Christmas Yuletide Celebration concert series, with Jack Everly principal pops conductor. In 2005 he hosted the inaugural production of Holiday Spectacular at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, ...

. He appeared at the 50th anniversary of the

Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building in Ga ...

Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city in an east–west direction. The west ...

in April 2005, broadcast worldwide on '' Hour of Power''. He has been a frequent guest since his first appearance in April 2002. In June, he performed his debut with the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

at Symphony Hall. In 2005, he appeared at the West Point Cadet Chapel at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, New York, performing with the cadets to record "Into the Fire" for the CD/DVD ''Stand Ye Steady: Songs of Courage and Inspiration''. In September of that year, Rodríguez appeared as part of promotion of that CD/DVD on nationally broadcast

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...

, performing "Into The Fire". On September 11, 2006, Rodríguez appeared on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'', wherein he performed "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

" accompanied by professional pianist, Mike Garson. In 2009, Rodriguez performed a number of concerts in tribute to legendary singer,

, on the 50th anniversary of his death. 2009 began a nationwide tour across America, performing in over 110 cites. In August 2010, Rodriguez performed at a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

rally against the building of an Islamic mosque near

Ground Zero A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

. In February 2011, he performed at Opera Tampa's "Night of Stars" gala to honor Plácido Domingo. 2011 marked a period of time where he explored a new repertoire in jazz, with a series of performances with the Jesse Lynch Trio. That year he collaborated with Andy Cooney and Michael Amante as "The New York Tenors" in a series of concerts. On September 11, 2012, Rodriguez performed the

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

for a 9/11 siunset memorial service. On December 19, Rodriguez with the New York Tenors performed in a sold-out Christmas show at

. On March 1, 2013, he performed at "Idol Across America" kick off in

. On November 11, 2014, Rodriguez performed in the 95th annual Veterans Day parade in New York City. On September 24, 2015, he performed at John F. Kennedy Airport as part of welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis' arrival in

. In 2018 and 2019, Rodriguez continued his appearances as keynote speaker.

Capitol and presidential performances

In May 2002, Rodríguez performed in Washington D.C. at the National Law Enforcement Officers memorial, where President Bush paid tribute to him with the following words: "I want to thank Daniel Rodriguez for lending his fabulous voice in tribute after tribute to the greatness of America. He performed at Ford's Theater Gala Celebration in 2002, attended by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. Other Capitol Hill performances were the National Memorial Day Concerts in Washington D.C. in 2002 and 2006 with conductor Erich Kunzel, and the "Celebration of Freedom" concert in January, 2005, honoring Bush's second inauguration as President. He performed at the 2011 National Memorial Day Concert in Washington DC under direction of Jack Everly. He also appeared at the 2004

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in New York City's

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

where he performed "Amazing Grace.". In June 2007, he performed the national anthem at the Jefferson Memorial, next to Challenger, for the delisting ceremony of the American bald eagle. As part of the 2007 Summer Music Festival, Rodriguez performed a solo concert, accompanied by classical pianist Victoria Ulanov, at the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

in Washington D.C.

International appearances

September 11, 2003, Rodriguez was seen on the British TV show Today with Des and Mel hosted by Des O'Connor and Melanie Sykes. In November 2004, Rodriguez traveled to

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

at the invitation of the IPA (International Police Association), for their 10th Anniversary Gala. Along with the Pipes and Drums unit of the

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...

, he sang at the royal palace for

Albert II, Prince of Monaco Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

, and at a requiem mass for Princess Grace of Monaco. 2004, appearances in New Zealand in numerous cities, including

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, Feilding, and

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. Rodriguez traveled to Aichi, Japan for the 2005

Expo 2005 Expo 2005 was a world expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. Japan has also hosted Expo '70 Osaka (World Expo), Expo '75 Okinawa (Specialised Expo) ...

World's Fair, where he performed at the US Pavilion. He appeared in multiple Christmas tours during those years in the Netherlands. In 2008 he performed with

Sharon Kips Sharon Kips (born 17 November 1983 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is the winner of the first edition of the Dutch ''X Factor'', 24 February 2007. She was praised highly throughout the show, with high compliments from three of Holland's music experts H ...

and Jimmy Earl Perry during the Hour of Power Kerstconcerten. January 2009, he appeared on TV NZ for a live interview discussing events at the upcoming inauguration of U.S. President elect,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. In 2009 Rodriguez also performed in New Zealand with his wife in a "Legendary Lanza" concert tour. In 2010 he performed in New Zealand at the Queenstown Winter Festival.

Opera performances

Rodriguez made his operatic debut as Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

'' in New York City with the Chelsea Opera in June 2006. New York Times music critic

Anthony Tommasini Anthony Carl Tommasini (born April 14, 1948) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "a discerning critic, whose taste, knowledge and judgment have made him a must-read", Tommasini was the chief c ...

wrote, "it was impossible not to respond to his portrayal. When he sang the touchstone aria,''Vesti la giubba'', venting Canio's grief and humiliation, you sensed that here was someone pouring out years of pent-up artistic longing.""Chelsea Opera snags singing officer"
On, Clive; The Villager; Volume 76, Number 1; May 24–30, 2006; Retrieved on January 9, 2007 In 2007 Rodríguez performed again as Canio with Granite State Opera Company in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, where he was awarded "2007 Best Performance of a leading male", by Opera online magazine. Paul Joseph Walkowski of Opera Online wrote of that performance by Rodriguez: "electrifying, pure magic, pure energy, pure emotion and blazing in glory. As Canio he stood in a class by himself: a star of easily recognizable magnitude and a force to be reckoned with on the opera stage." In 2008 at the Opera of the Hamptons, Southampton, New York, Rodriguez sang the role of Turridu opposite international soprano Cristina Fontanelli, in

Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...

's one-act opera, ''

Cavalleria Rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; ) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 Cavalleria rusticana (short story), short story of the same name and subsequent ...

''. June 2012 Daniel performs in

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

with Chelsea Opera in role of Lt. B. F. Pinkerton.

Personal life

Daniel is married to Marla Kavanaugh, a soprano who has performed around the world in concert and in opera. She was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and began her stage career at the age of five. He and his wife often travel to perform together. They have one daughter, born in New Zealand in 2009. Daniel has a son and daughter, from his first marriage. He lists fishing as his favorite pastime, and is also an experienced scuba diver.

Philanthropy and charity work

Rodriguez has made appearances for The

City of Hope National Medical Center City of Hope is a private, non-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate school located in Duarte, California, United States. The center's main campus resides on of land adjacent to the boundaries of Duarte and Irwindale, California ...

Duke University Hospital Duke University Hospital is a 1062 -bed acute care facility and an academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health Sys ...

Children's Center, and is a regular at fundraising events for The Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research, and the Hilton Head Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit children's charities. He has performed for the annual New York Tunnel to Towers run to benefit the Stephen Siller children's foundation, and the Community Mayors Organization to benefit disabled children, where he is an honorary board member. He is a regular performer at Loma Linda University Medical Center Children's Hospital annual fundraisers, and in 2009 performed in concert with Broadway soprano Laurie Gayle Stephenson. Broadcast on PBS August 2002, titled "Spirit of America" a benefit concert for the Scoliosis Care Foundation taped at Caesars Atlantic City, starred Daniel Rodriguez, guest performances by

Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She originated the role of Lucy Harris in the Broadway musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Biography Eder was born in Tucso ...

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval (born November 6, 1949) is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, timbalero, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 ...

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "Poetry Man" and "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals on Paul Simo ...

, and Aprile Millo, orchestra conducted by Tom Scott. In 2003 Rodriguez performed in Appleton

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, at the International Community Partnerships Conference Security Through Stability featuring former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

President and

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

recipient

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

. The following year he traveled to New Zealand for his debut tour, where he sang at a benefit for victims of recent flooding in that country. He has been a longtime supporter of the

United Service Organization The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

with appearances at fundraisers, as well as visiting troops at military hospitals. In 2005, his project "Songs for the Soldiers", provided music in USO care packages for American troops overseas. He performs at retirement communities, for police and firefighter support events, and for veterans causes, including appearances with the VA-National Medical Music Group. October 2006, New York City, Rodríguez kicked off World Children's Day at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

, joined by ''Dancing with the Stars'' winner Emmitt Smith, runner-up

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on ''Saved by the Bell'', ''S ...

, the Duchess of York and other stars at anniversary event supporting World Children's Day at McDonald's. Rodríguez, named as "Goodwill Ambassador" supporting for "Heart for Children", with concert tour "Kerstconcerten 2008" .Heart for Children - Ambassadors - Daniel Rodriguez singer.
. Retrieved December 25, 2008. On February 14, 2010, Rodríguez was honored by the Sacramento Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution with a Silver Good Citizenship Medal. January 2011, Rodriguez performed in Greymouth New Zealand for families of the 29 miners killed in underground explosions in November 2010. 2012 teams up with

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

in concerts around America to raise funds for homebuilding for severely injured returning troops. September 14, 2013, travels to

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

to perform as representative of the Tunnel to Towers Steven Siller Foundation.

Honors and awards

* 2002 Disney Humanitarian award. * 2003 The first

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. He was known for his intense and varied roles on stage and screen. He started his career in the Public Theater before transitioning to film. He ...

Award, by the Puerto Rican Family Institute, in appreciation of his charitable work. * 2004 Monaco IPA Association Humanity Award * 2007 Queens Centers for Progress Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic spirit and commitment to making a difference in the life of all Americans. * 2007 Ellen Harden Woolworth Medal for Patriotism by the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

* 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the USO for his work on the Care Package Program. * 2008 Honored by "Stars" page for inclusion on USA Patriotism site. * 2009 Selected as Goodwill Ambassador for Hart voor Kinderen for his humanitarian efforts * 2009 National Award Recipient: Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Broward County Chapter * 2010 SAR Silver Medal for Good Citizenship: Sacramento Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.http://sarsac.org/news/Meeting_14Feb2010.shtml ; Retrieved August 11, 2010

Career timeline

* 1976 - Acceptance at The American Youth Repertoire Company in Manhattan to study music and performance * 1980 - First Carnegie Hall recital * 2001 - Invitation by Plácido Domingo to study with him, after hearing his voice at "Prayer for America." * 2001 - Signs first recording contract with EMI/Manhattan Record Company for a single, plus two full albums * 2001 - Release of 2-track single album "God Bless America" * 2002 - First vocal performance on a national stage at Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Utah. * 2002 - "Spirit of America" album released and goes to #1 on Billboards Classical Crossover chart * 2002 - PBS broadcasts "Spirit of America" concert from Caesars Atlantic City * 2002 - First public symphonic concert, Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra * 2002 - Performance in concert tribute to New York, at the Hollywood bowl * 2004 - Sang at the Republican National Convention in New York City, Madison Square Garden. * 2004 - Performed in Monaco for Albert II, Prince of Monaco and members of the royal family * 2005 - Sang at the Celebration of Freedom" concert at the inauguration of U.S. President G. W. Bush * 2005 - Release of album "In The Presence" with Blix Street Records * 2006 - Operatic debut as Canio in Pagliacci with Chelsea Opera Company, New York * 2007 - "Best performance 2007" by Operaonline, as Canio in Pagliacci, Granite State Opera, New Hampshire * 2008 - Performance in Cavalleria Rusticana, sings role of Turridu, Opera of the Hamptons, New York * 2009/2010 - 117 city concert tour across America * 2011 - Begins series of concerts as member of the "New York Tenors" * 2012 - Performance in memorial ceremony on the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on September 11. * 2012 - Performs at a sold out Christmas show at Carnegie Hall as member of the "New York Tenors" * 2013 - Release of first Spanish album "Por Ti Volare" * 2014 - Release of Christmas album "A Glorious Christmas" * 2014 - Highlights November New York City Veterans Day parade with patriotic artist Scott Lobaido * 2015 - Returns to New Zealand for 6th concert tour, including performance at US Embassy, Wellington * 2015 - Carnegie Hall Christmas show with The New York Tenors final show of their 2015 series * 2016 - Kennedy Airport performance ceremony as final World Trade Center artifacts removed from storage after 15 years. * 2016 - With The New York Tenors Christmas at Lincoln Center raise 1 million dollars for "Futures in Education" * 2017 - US Capitol, Anthem performance - National Peace Officers Memorial Service * 2017 - Christmas Performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center New York City * 2018 - Keynote speaker appearances * 2018 - Return to Carnegie Hall with the New York Tenors. * 2019 - Host at Tunnel to Towers Foundation annual 5k * 2019 - In concert with the New York Tenors including sold out Carnegie Hall

Discography

Daniel Rodriguez

Various with Rodríguez tracks

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Daniel 1964 births Living people Opera crossover singers American tenors American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Singers from Brooklyn People from Rossville, Staten Island

Early years

Career highlights

Capitol and presidential performances

International appearances

Opera performances

Personal life

Philanthropy and charity work

Honors and awards

Career timeline

Discography

Daniel Rodriguez

Various with Rodríguez tracks

See also

References

External links