Daniel Rodriquez is commonly known as the “singing policeman.”  He came to national prominence as a New York City police officer for his stirring rendition of “God Bless America” after the September 11th terrorist attacks.  Daniel Rodriguez was on duty on September 11th and nearly lost his life.  He has since dedicated his life to the healing and unifying power of music, performing at a number of high profile 9/11 memorials as well as on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Larry King Live, and Live with Regis and Kelly.  Mr. Rodriguez has a strong connection to New Zealand as his wife is the celebrated Kiwi soprano Marla Kavanaugh.
After 9/11, then New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani helped set up an audition with Placido Domingo. Daniel studied with Maestro Domingo and the staff at the Young Artist Program in Washington D.C. for a year and 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 Opera Online for his portrayal of Canio with the Granite State Opera.
US Embassy
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_embassy_newzealand/16837937491/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_embassy_newzealand/16837937491/</a>