Official site Highlights page
2001 Memorials
2001 Good Morning America
2002 World Olympics
2002 Tribute to Grace & Hope
2004 NYPD Retirement
2002-2011 Placido Domingo
Defining Moments
I lived the horrors of 9/11, and made peace with God several times
that day. It was when I sang at "Prayer for America" that I realized
God had a gift he had given me, and that he had a ministry for me.
Each of us is given a gift, and it's up to us to find what that gift is,
then to nurture it, to help it grow, and make it the best it can be.
~Daniel
2001 Memorials
2001 Good Morning America
2002 World Olympics
2002 Tribute to Grace & Hope
2004 NYPD Retirement
2002-2011 Placido Domingo
2001 Memorials
September 23, 2001, "Prayer for America" at Yankee stadium
Ann Marie Maloney, Daniel Rodriguez, & Kim Royster performed the national anthem
See full program with the National Anthem
approximately 58 minutes into video.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/CityP
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October 28, 2001 memorial at World Trade Center site
Daniel performs the National Anthem approximately 3 minutes into video.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/CenterFa
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December 4, 2001. Carnegie Hall Ceremony to honor fallen police officers
Daniel sings the National Anthem as The Medal of Honor was awarded
posthumously to police officers who died at the World Trade Center.
2002 Winter Olympics Salt Lake City Utah
First appearance on a world stage
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah
February 8th opening ceremony: New York City Police Officer Daniel Rodriguez
sings "God Bless America" to a grateful crowd.
"Singing at the Olympics was an amazing experience!" ~Daniel
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah
February 8th opening ceremony: New York City Police Officer Daniel Rodriguez
sings "God Bless America" to a grateful crowd.
"Singing at the Olympics was an amazing experience!" ~Daniel
American troops in Afghanistan watching live
coverage of Daniel's performance from Utah
Sept 2002 The Voice of Heroes Tribute to Grace and Hope
Daniel Rodriguez sings at "A Tribute to Grace and Hope"
Performance
of the National Anthem and "God Bless America"
in Times Square as part
of a media event by Hilton Hotels.
Last public appearance while still a
member of the NYPD,
before official retirement May of 2004.
The Police Department allowed Officer Daniel Rodriguez to take a leave for his trip to Washington to study with Placido Domingo] and remains extremely supportive of his singing career. At the CD release party Monday night, the first deputy police commissioner, George A. Grasso, received a $50,000 check for the city's Twin Towers Fund, the first proceeds of Officer Rodriguez's first single - "God Bless America, " of course - released in December. It was Daniel's idea to produce the single and donate all the proceeds.
"We're very proud of him," Commissioner Grasso said. "I can't think of a better and more sincere ambassador of good will to the world. It's really what New York cops are all about. "The commissioner said the department was leaving it up to Officer Rodriguez to decide whether to stay with the force. But Chief Hoehl, his boss at the Manhattan South patrol force, has already told him to pack his bags."I told him my goal is to see him leave the Police Department and take off and do well with the God- given gift that he has," Chief Hoehl said. "As well as he sings, that's the kind of person he is also. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person."
Walking from Times Square to One Police Plaza to turn in his retirement papers
Singing a Different Tune
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Reginald Patrick, Advance Staff Writer
A little after nine yesterday morning, in direct competition with the traffic din, Staten Islander Daniel Rodriguez, the NYPD's celebrated singing cop and a symbol of this city's resilience after Sept. 11, was belting out a cappella renditions of the national anthem and "God Bless America" in Midtown's Patrick Duffy Square. The performance was part of a promotion for a national hotel chain.
Five hours later, Rodriguez, recently returned from a two-year leave of absence, was at the NYPD pension office in Lower Manhattan, submitting his retirement papers and officially ending a 10-year-run as a police officer. The Rossville resident was assigned most recently to Patrol Borough Manhattan South as a community affairs officer. His retirement officially takes effect June 30.
Rodriguez, who gained prominence when he performed at a Yankee Stadium prayer service shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, admitted things have been moving fast lately and he feels a little sad about putting away his badge for good.
"I'll miss the department's camaraderie," he said. "But I have a feeling my real work is just beginning. I'm going out and sing what's in my heart, share this gift that God's given me. I'd like to dedicate myself to learning how much I can actually accomplish as a singer. I'm happy to be moving forward." That forward motion will include a new album of religious music to go along with the two albums already released, more charity work and, of course, concerts, plenty of concerts around the country and overseas.
On Sunday he'll sing at the Crystal Cathedral in southern California -- the home base of Dr. Robert Schuller. He will perform with the York (Pa.) Symphony on July 4 an Thanksgiving weekend will find him working in Monaco. In December he will do a number of shows in Indianapolis and plans to help open the World's Fair in Osaka, Japan, next year.
Rodriguez sees the schedule as a continuation of the work he did during his leave of absence, when he was studying with tenor Placido Domingo and performed as much as possible. "I was making about 175 appearances a year," Rodriguez said. "It seemed like I was spending most of my time in an airplane."
Yesterday's performance was part of a pitch for Hilton Hotels as the Memorial Day weekend approaches. It featured a 16-foot-tall "human" billboard depicting the American flag -- 50 hotel bellhops holding flash boards -- and urging New Yorkers to stop in.
Rodriguez sang in front of the assembly and later shook hands with the workers. Bellhop Philip Eskow of New Springville, who works at the Hilton Hotel at 59th Street and Sixth Avenue, said he was "thrilled" to meet the man, widely acclaimed as "America's tenor."
The tenor is remembered for singing at funeral services for firefighters and police officers who perished at Ground Zero. "I believe I sang at over 150 funerals," Rodriguez said.
He has sung at international events like the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and appeared on television programs such as "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "Late Night with David Letterman." His two albums, "From the Heart" and "Spirit of America," have both done well on the charts.
Rodriguez began singing in the seventh grade. He joined the Police Department in 1996, after a string of odd jobs and a stint at a post office. He sang the national anthem at his police graduation in Madison Square Garden. "I feel my music is a way to give back," Rodriguez said.
"I hear the real voice. And the voice was
really an operatic one." ~Placido Domingo
Sept 23, 2001: Daniel and Placido Domingo at "Prayer for America"
NYPD singer's big break comes at toughest of times
By Steve Penhollow, The Journal Gazette
It wasn't until after 9/11 that Domingo got a chance to hear Rodriguez, but he was complimentary. " 'That was very good, very nice,' " Rodriguez recalls Domingo saying. " 'You have such a wonderful natural voice. Now try it like this . ' "Domingo offered Rodriguez an opportunity to study with him in his Young Artist program.
Rodriguez went directly from his meeting with Domingo to Yankee Stadium to sing the national anthem. Afterward, he ran up to Giuliani's box at the stadium to tell him the good news. "I said, 'Your honor, I just left Placido and he asked me to come study with him.' And the mayor said: 'You must go. It is your destiny. I always knew you weren't cut out for police work.' And I said, 'The thing is . . . you've got to give me the time off.'
"Chance of a lifetime to work with the Maestro"
Daniel studies at Washington Opera's Vilar/Domingo Young Artists Program
15 months in 2002-2003 between his regular schedule
April 2002 The singing cop: Follow that dream
By Robert Freedman April 12, 2002
Daniel Rodriguez, New York City's "singing cop," has turned himself into a bohemian artist living in a garret in Paris. As Rodolfo, he is belting out his love for the tragic Mimi, in a workshop rehearsal of Puccini's "La Boheme." "Very good, very good. A little more nuance with the eyes. A little more spontaneous."
The tutoring comes from Lotfi Mansouri, former artistic director of the San Francisco Opera, an acting coach at the Washington Opera's Vilar/Domingo Young Artists Program. The program aims to launch Rodriguez and 10 other singers into major operatic careers. Rodriguez, 37, is the Brooklyn-born policeman who sang his heart out for a grieving nation after the Sept. 11 attacks. His "God Bless America" renditions at the World Series and his appearances at funerals and memorials for the victims of the attacks hit just the right notes of dignity and patriotism.
For the first days after Sept. 11, Rodriguez, the police officer, felt "helpless. It wasn't until I sang on Sept. 23" at a Yankee Stadium memorial for the World Trade Center victims "that I felt I was contributing," he said. "My life took on a new dimension. I felt as though I was part of something great.
I've always believed that my voice is a blessing and I give all the credit for my musical ability to my God." Through numerous TV appearances, "Late Show With David Letterman," "Larry King Live," "Today", and a recently released CD of patriotic, traditional and Broadway standards titled "The Spirit of America," Rodriguez has become a real celebrity. Now, as a student at a training program devised by Washington Opera artistic director Placido Domingo, the policeman wants to become a true artist.
Domingo invited Rodriguez to take part in the 15-month-long program, which began in March. Rodriguez was given an unpaid leave of absence by the New York Police Department, while he tries to make it living quasi-bohemian fashion in Arlington, Va. on a $1,900 monthly stipend, along with the fees he picks up for already well-booked concert appearances around the country.
His eventual goal is to earn kudos on both the opera stage and the Broadway stage. His immediate objectives are to be able to sing with the Washington Opera while he is in the nation's capital and, in an upcoming audition, to get the lead role of Jean Valjean in the still running Broadway production of "Les Miserables." "If I get the role, I know my image as the singing cop will be played up," he said. "But music is my ministry and I only want the opportunity to sing full time."
A one time cook, truck driver, cabinetmaker and postal worker, Rodriguez, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, married at 19 and soon had a son and a daughter to bring up. He pursued a singing career on and off, then finally got a financially secure job as a police officer seven years ago. But, he said, even while in uniform, his dream remained: Some day he would hit the high Cs on a full-time basis.
The program regimen of six or seven hours a day, five days a week has given him, he said, a new respect for the challenge and a new love for the beauty of opera. "In opera, everything is challenging vocally," he said. "You have to think of how your standing, sitting or lying down position will affect your voice. If you get too much into acting the role, you may not be able to make the note."
But the music, he indicated, is awe-inspiring. "I'm going to pursue opera now to its logical conclusion. But I'm not going to give up my enjoyment of Broadway songs," he said.. "The big question everyone is now asking me is: 'What are you going to do? Will you pursue a career in opera or on Broadway?' I've been thinking that over for the past months and I've decided that I would feel most comfortable doing both."
Rodriguez's idol, another Brooklyn-born tenor, Mario Lanza, more or less skirted both the pop and classical fields. While Lanza only sang opera in movies, there have been other booming voices that made the crossover, most notably Ezio Pinza, who, after he retired from the opera, became a huge Broadway star in "South Pacific."
Puerto Rican bass-baritone Justino Diaz, whose voice graced the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala, thinks that Rodriguez's quest for both operatic and Broadway musical stardom is "a wonderful idea." He cautioned, however, that Rodriguez "may find it tough" to kick off an opera career at 37, which Diaz said is about 10 years past the age of getting a solid start in the field. But he could be an ideal leading musical star on the Great White Way, Diaz said.
Back at the workshop, stage director Mansouri is telling Rodriguez-Rodolfo: "Don't ever drop your head. You can drop your shoulders to show emotion," which the singer-actor has plenty of as he tells his friend, Marcello of the imminent death of Mimi, the love of his life. Rodriguez starts his Act III aria. With the sole accompaniment of a piano,that emotion soars up to the rafters, rebounds off the bare walls and resounds mightily through the large, cavernous studio.
By Robert Freedman April 12, 2002
Daniel Rodriguez, New York City's "singing cop," has turned himself into a bohemian artist living in a garret in Paris. As Rodolfo, he is belting out his love for the tragic Mimi, in a workshop rehearsal of Puccini's "La Boheme." "Very good, very good. A little more nuance with the eyes. A little more spontaneous."
The tutoring comes from Lotfi Mansouri, former artistic director of the San Francisco Opera, an acting coach at the Washington Opera's Vilar/Domingo Young Artists Program. The program aims to launch Rodriguez and 10 other singers into major operatic careers. Rodriguez, 37, is the Brooklyn-born policeman who sang his heart out for a grieving nation after the Sept. 11 attacks. His "God Bless America" renditions at the World Series and his appearances at funerals and memorials for the victims of the attacks hit just the right notes of dignity and patriotism.
For the first days after Sept. 11, Rodriguez, the police officer, felt "helpless. It wasn't until I sang on Sept. 23" at a Yankee Stadium memorial for the World Trade Center victims "that I felt I was contributing," he said. "My life took on a new dimension. I felt as though I was part of something great.
I've always believed that my voice is a blessing and I give all the credit for my musical ability to my God." Through numerous TV appearances, "Late Show With David Letterman," "Larry King Live," "Today", and a recently released CD of patriotic, traditional and Broadway standards titled "The Spirit of America," Rodriguez has become a real celebrity. Now, as a student at a training program devised by Washington Opera artistic director Placido Domingo, the policeman wants to become a true artist.
Domingo invited Rodriguez to take part in the 15-month-long program, which began in March. Rodriguez was given an unpaid leave of absence by the New York Police Department, while he tries to make it living quasi-bohemian fashion in Arlington, Va. on a $1,900 monthly stipend, along with the fees he picks up for already well-booked concert appearances around the country.
His eventual goal is to earn kudos on both the opera stage and the Broadway stage. His immediate objectives are to be able to sing with the Washington Opera while he is in the nation's capital and, in an upcoming audition, to get the lead role of Jean Valjean in the still running Broadway production of "Les Miserables." "If I get the role, I know my image as the singing cop will be played up," he said. "But music is my ministry and I only want the opportunity to sing full time."
A one time cook, truck driver, cabinetmaker and postal worker, Rodriguez, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, married at 19 and soon had a son and a daughter to bring up. He pursued a singing career on and off, then finally got a financially secure job as a police officer seven years ago. But, he said, even while in uniform, his dream remained: Some day he would hit the high Cs on a full-time basis.
The program regimen of six or seven hours a day, five days a week has given him, he said, a new respect for the challenge and a new love for the beauty of opera. "In opera, everything is challenging vocally," he said. "You have to think of how your standing, sitting or lying down position will affect your voice. If you get too much into acting the role, you may not be able to make the note."
But the music, he indicated, is awe-inspiring. "I'm going to pursue opera now to its logical conclusion. But I'm not going to give up my enjoyment of Broadway songs," he said.. "The big question everyone is now asking me is: 'What are you going to do? Will you pursue a career in opera or on Broadway?' I've been thinking that over for the past months and I've decided that I would feel most comfortable doing both."
Rodriguez's idol, another Brooklyn-born tenor, Mario Lanza, more or less skirted both the pop and classical fields. While Lanza only sang opera in movies, there have been other booming voices that made the crossover, most notably Ezio Pinza, who, after he retired from the opera, became a huge Broadway star in "South Pacific."
Puerto Rican bass-baritone Justino Diaz, whose voice graced the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala, thinks that Rodriguez's quest for both operatic and Broadway musical stardom is "a wonderful idea." He cautioned, however, that Rodriguez "may find it tough" to kick off an opera career at 37, which Diaz said is about 10 years past the age of getting a solid start in the field. But he could be an ideal leading musical star on the Great White Way, Diaz said.
Back at the workshop, stage director Mansouri is telling Rodriguez-Rodolfo: "Don't ever drop your head. You can drop your shoulders to show emotion," which the singer-actor has plenty of as he tells his friend, Marcello of the imminent death of Mimi, the love of his life. Rodriguez starts his Act III aria. With the sole accompaniment of a piano,that emotion soars up to the rafters, rebounds off the bare walls and resounds mightily through the large, cavernous studio.
______________________________________
February 2011, Daniel performs at Opera Tampa Gala for Placido Domingo
Daniel sang "Vesti la giubba" during the opening
concert dedicated to Maestro Domingo
concert dedicated to Maestro Domingo
Daniel with tenor Roger Geronimo who joined Maestro Anton
Coppola as Coppola presented his third Anton Coppola Musical
Award of Excellence to Placido Domingo.
http://www.studio10.tv/category/music/segment.aspx/175270/A_Night_of_Stars
Daniel rehearses "Vesti la giubba"
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Coppola as Coppola presented his third Anton Coppola Musical
Award of Excellence to Placido Domingo.
http://www.studio10.tv/category/music/segment.aspx/175270/A_Night_of_Stars
Baritone Mark Walters also performed.
Daniel rehearses "Vesti la giubba"
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