The Catherine Hayes Gala Concert promises a fitting tribute to a trailblazing woman at St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, on March 8.
The Limerick Opera & Music Festival is set to honour one of Ireland’s most celebrated musical daughters with a spectacular gala concert this spring. The Catherine Hayes Gala Concert — staged under the festival’s “Opera For All” banner — will take place at St Mary’s Cathedral, Bridge Street, on Sunday March 8, commencing at 7pm. The date is no coincidence: the concert falls on International Women’s Day, making it a poignant and fitting tribute to a trailblazing woman who conquered the world’s greatest opera houses against extraordinary odds.
Born in Limerick in 1818 into abject poverty, Catherine Hayes rose from total obscurity to earn global renown across the opera houses and concert halls of Europe, America and Australia in the mid-nineteenth century. Acclaimed as “The Swan of Erin” and the “Irish Nightingale”, Hayes captivated audiences with a voice of exceptional purity and expressiveness, cementing her place as one of the most remarkable sopranos of the Victorian era. The forthcoming gala concert honours her extraordinary legacy on the occasion of her 165th Anniversary, continuing a proud tradition of remembrance upheld by the Limerick Opera & Music Festival.
Two of Ireland’s most acclaimed voices will headline the gala. Sopranos Jean Wallace and Ami Hewitt will perform throughout the evening, accompanied by distinguished collaborative pianist Irina Dernova.
The evening will be hosted by Lorcan Murray of RTÉ Lyric FM, and will include special tributes reflecting on Hayes’s extraordinary artistic journey and enduring influence.
Concert Highlights
• A programme of exquisite operatic arias and classical favourites, including works by Bellini and Donizetti alongside cherished Irish art songs
• Performances by acclaimed Irish sopranos Jean Wallace and Ami Hewitt, with distinguished collaborative pianist Irina Dernova
• Special tributes to Catherine Hayes’s extraordinary life, career and lasting legacy
• Staged on International Women’s Day, celebrating an iconic Limerick woman on the 165th Anniversary of her passing
Tickets for the Catherine Hayes Gala Concert are available now via Eventmaster at https://eventmaster.ie/event/preview/w209UPySRQ.
Presented under the festival’s Opera For All banner, the gala promises a powerful celebration of musical excellence, Irish heritage and a pioneering woman whose voice carried from Limerick to the world.