Meet Daniel Hendrick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Hendrick.

Daniel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Fontana, California April 23rd 1958, the son of an amateur philosopher / hard-working steelworker, and a mother, that simply put was extraordinary. I was the youngest of five children, two girls and three wild boys. We lived (all five of us) in a three-bedroom house with one bathroom, LOL (that always proved to be an interesting equation).

We had a couple of acres of property, grew our own vegetables and raised cows and pigs to save money on our grocery bill, (which was substantial with five kids).

We loved to sing, it’s in our DNA.. for years we would go to church, come home and our mother would make us the most delicious roast beef with mashed potatoes that one could ever hope for. (I’ll never forget the smell of that roast filling the house as we walked in, it almost gave me palpitations). Both of my parents were from a small town in Oklahoma, so they had that ‘country cooking thing’ down to a science. After dinner we frequently would end up in the den singing together for hours, and at times, I felt transported to other realms of consciousness.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I was 24 years old, I was invited to Italy to participate in the ‘Caruso competition’ for young tenors. My teacher/mentor at the time was famed Tenor, Giuseppe di Stefano, he was the idol of the great Luciano Pavarotti. But unfortunately that year, I had strep-throat off and on for many months, I’d get better and a few weeks later it would return, the doctors were perplexed, they could not figure out why the strep kept returning, unfortunately this caused me to start forcing my voice, but I was determined to compete in the competition and make my mentor Giuseppe di Stefano proud of me. (This proved to be a flawed approach).

I arrived in Italy and within two days the strep returned, no matter how hard I tried I could not make a decent sound, but, because I was the protégé of di Stefano I was advanced all the way to the finals without ever singing a note!

Maestro di Stefano insisted they pass me through each level of the competition. Fortunately, the pianist heard me trying to sing in the warmup room and insisted that I stop trying. He said “I’m not going to let you ruin that beautiful voice”. So, I walked out onto the stage and apologized (with a squeaky voice) to the audience and my maestro. “Please forgive me, I am unable to sing for you tonight, thank you for the amazing opportunity.

The next day I left Italy devastated, when I arrived home, my voice was totally gone, in the following years I went to many doctors and teachers trying to regain my voice, no one had the answer! Friends abandoned me like flies. I was devastated.

After years of doctors and teachers, I gave up on that and decided they were not going to help me, at that point even my speaking was like a boy in puberty. But sometimes the answers come in un orthodox ways! One day while playing with my dog, he growled at me, and I growled back, in that moment I felt a connection from my brain to my voice, it was like a spark had reignited something.

Back then, doctors did not know what ‘vocal dysphonia’ was so they had no idea of how to treat me. Thus, began my journey of self-discovery with my voice. Tragic physical or emotional events can cause someone to lose their voice ‘vocal dysphonia’ (I had both), the connection from my brain to the vocal mechanism was just broken!

It took several years of me experimenting with what I discovered to really get my voice back, and then I met a voice teacher named Jane Randolph who really helped me put it all together. A few later I made my debut at Lincoln Center in New York singing the role of Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele. The New York Times wrote of my debut: “As Faust in Mefistofele Daniel Hendrick was impressive, singing with a rich, secure tenor. He also cut an impressive figure on stage.” This was the turning point of my life and helped establish my international Opera career.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
After I retired from my opera career, I started helping people to regain their voice, it became my passion. People who have experienced dysphonia, stroke, or just bad vocal technique can be devastated by the loss of their voice. From my years of experimentation on myself I developed unique ways to restore the ability to speak and even sing! (When conventional ways don’t work, patients are sent to me).

I teach these types of individuals from all over the world via Zoom or FaceTime, it is truly a blessing to help someone regain the ability to speak. (it is literally life-changing). In addition, I also make sure I have time to help other singers throughout the world learn organic, natural ways of singing that will support them for a lifetime! In early 2021 my new book ‘Know You Know’ will be published, it chronicles my life’s journey.

What were you like growing up?
From a very young age I was intensely involved in sports and music, they were the cornerstones of my life. I am eternally grateful to my parents for making all that possible, in many ways it shaped who I am today.

Pricing:

• Vocal lessons – singers $125.00/hour via FaceTime.
• Vocal therapy for stroke patients and vocal dysphonia is $75.00 for 1/2 hour

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DanielHendrick.com
• Phone: 619 370 1680
• Email: DanielHendrickSR@Gmail.com

Image Credit:
Daniel Hendrick

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