Daniel Rodríguez (tenor) sang the role of Turridu opposite international soprano Cristina Fontanelli, in Pietro Mascagni's one-act opera, "Cavalleria Rusticana". June 2012 Daniel performs in Madama Butterfly with Chelsea Opera in role of Lt. B. F. Pinkerton. 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. Daniel and family relocated from New York to California in 2017. He and his wife continue traveling often perform together. They have one daughter, born in New Zealand in 2009.
Cavalleria rusticana in 1945, the opera had been performed more than 14,000 times in Italy alone. In 1890, following its run of sold-out performances at the Teatro Costanzi, the opera was produced throughout Italy and in Berlin. It received its London premiere at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 19 October 1891 and its Covent Garden premiere on 16 May 1892. American producers vied with each other (sometimes through the courts) to be the first to present the opera in that country. "Cavalleria rusticana" finally had its American premiere in Philadelphia at the Grand Opera House on 9 September 1891, followed by a performance