Daniel Rodriguez

2014-2015 Daniel Rodriguez Official Biography

Daniel Rodriguez, the now-retired NYPD officer, chose to follow his passion and dreams after 9/11, that of becoming a recording artist and he soon became known to many as the “Singing Policeman.” He helped bring the country an uplifting spirit of promise and hope with his stirring rendition of “God Bless America” after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Being a member of the NYPD and their prestigious ceremonial unit as official singer gave him a great sense of pride and was rewarding. Witnessing first hand the tragedy of 9/11 made him realize how fleeting life is.

The now-established recording artist, known as America’s Beloved Tenor, was immediately signed by Manhattan Records, a division of EMI, after his stellar performance of “God Bless America” at Yankee Stadium’s "Prayer for America" that thrust him upon the world stage. He now has ten CDs to his credit.

Daniel releases his first Christmas album in 2014 “A Glorious Christmas.” “I have always wanted to record a Christmas album and make it as unique in style and as authentic to Daniel Rodriguez as possible. I believe I have achieved both. In “A Glorious Christmas” fans will hear some of the big vocal performances that have become synonymous with America’s Beloved Tenor. With this CD I wanted to also showcase the raw offering I have as an artist.”

“I chose “I Believe” to record as a duet with my wife, soprano and international recording artist, Marla Kavanaugh. We both decided that we needed to offer a song of inspiration for the difficult times we are all facing as a global community. “I Believe” was the perfect choice as it lends itself to any occasion, and the sentiment is exactly what Marla and I feel as world artists with a tendency toward optimism. The opening line is ‘One day I'll hear the laugh of children, in a world where war has been banned’ and continues with ‘One day I'll see men of all colors, sharing words of love and devotion.’ Marla and I hope these sentiments will spread during this holiday season and beyond.

The second duet is with pop diva and charting artist Shelea Frazier. Shelea is a consummate professional that brings an amazing vocal performance to the pop selection "Christmas Day.” I am delighted to be working with such a bright talent who has come so far in the music industry. "Christmas Day" is a fun holiday piece that truly shows my lighter side and Shelea's pop style is the perfect compliment to my "pop tenor" approach.

For the third duet on “A Glorious Christmas” I was thrilled to be able to sing a bilingual duet with my dearest friend and 2 time Grammy nominee, Karina Nuvo. This soulful Latin diva brought new life to the well known holiday hymn "Silent Night." When creating a Christmas CD probably the most difficult thing to do is to create something new. This timeless classic has been recorded in every genre imaginable, and for us to come up with a new offering was a challenge. Karina helped me do just that, "Silent Night" has a new sound and wonderful harmonies that can only be described as straight from the heart. I had to offer a bilingual song or I would be disowned by my parents and hence, "Silent Night” is offered in Spanish and English.”

"Where Else Would A Lamb Be Born" is a tenor’s dream and spoke to me from the first time I heard it. The words bring to life the idea of the Lamb of God and the birth of Christ when in the song it states ‘A bed of straw became his cradle, embracing God in human form. One would expect more than a stable, but where else would a lamb be born.’ The song captured my heart and so it became a proud part of "A Glorious Christmas"

“I recorded my first Latin CD, “Por Ti Volare,” in 2013 to honor my heritage, and I’m glad we included an English/Spanish version of “Silent Night” on ‘A Glorious Christmas.”
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After 9/11/2001, then-New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, helped set up an audition with Placido Domingo who also performed at Yankee Stadium’s "Prayer for America". Daniel studied with Maestro Domingo and the staff at the Young Artist Program in Washington for a year and a half. Daniel’s operatic debut took place in June of 2006 where he sang the role of ‘Canio’ in “Pagliacci” with the Chelsea Opera Company in New York City. In 2007 Daniel was named “Best Performance by a Leading Male” for the 2006-2007 season by OperaOnline for his portrayal of ‘Canio’ with Granite State Opera.

He has performed at many high profile events including the Republican National Convention and President Bush’s “Celebration of Freedom” Inaugural concert. Daniel performs as part of The New York Tenors in concerts around the country, and in 2012/ 2014 sang for a September 11 Memorial Day service on the USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor. Daniel has been a recurring guest on The PBS Memorial Day television concerts at the Capitol in Washington D.C. with Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna. He continues to perform classical crossover concerts around the world as well as “The Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” at football, basketball and baseball games, including several World Series. He has toured Holland, Germany , Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and extensively in the US.

A television favorite, he has guested on “The Hour of Power,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Larry King Live,” “Live with Regis and Kelly,” “Oprah,” "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and “Praise the Lord.” Being fluent in Spanish Daniel has guested on the Latin market’s top TV shows including “The Fernando Espuelas Show," "Despierta America," "Al Despertar," " Sabado Gigante with Don Francisco" and "El Vacilon de la Manana" He continues to welcome the opportunity to work with institutions such as the USO, City of Hope and numerous law enforcement and military organizations.

At 16, he presented his first recital at Carnegie Hall; at 17, he was billed as the “17-year-old Baritone.” Then, at age 19, he put music aside to raise his family, going to work to make ends meet. He worked at the post office, and then as a police officer in the New York City Police Department. It was in uniform that local New York audiences began to discover his voice and his passion for the music he sang. Before the events of 9/11, he was already quite well known around New York City as he had sung in “Broadway on Broadway,” in local opera and musical theater productions.

Wherever he goes, Daniel is asked about that fateful September morning and how it changed his life. He was driving over the Verrazano Bridge to begin his shift with the NYPD when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. He was on the ground near the buildings when they collapsed, nearly losing his own life. Nine years later he went back to heal himself. From this journey Daniel has begun “Find 9/12.com” the quest to rediscover the unity we experienced in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Daniel has tours scheduled for 2014 and 2015 in Holland, New Zealand, and the US. In 2015 Daniel will return for the third time to Hawaii for 9/11. His "Salute to the Fallen" continues to be part of the Commemoration Ceremonies at Pearl Harbor.

“For a brief period after 9/11, our differences dissolved. We came together. We treated each other with compassion and generosity. We were all connected. We were one. And then, suddenly… it was gone!”

“Music and spirituality were independent of each other in my life, but after 9/11 it became clear that music was the source of healing and that became the focus of my life.”

“If you are true to your passions and work hard for the things that are important in life, like caring, kindness, friendship, faith and family then wherever you wind up you will be a success and, to those you love and those who love you, you will be famous.” – Daniel Rodriguez.