The Swan of Erin
Catherine Gordon as Catherine Hayes Catherine Gordon pays tribute to Catherine Hayes. The most celebrated Irish soprano of the 19th century delighted audiences in San Francisco, Sacramento, and even Columbia, California. She was hailed as The Swan of Erin, The Hibernian Prima Donna, and even The Irish Jenny Lind during her worldwide career. Although her name is no longer well known in the United States, Queen Victoria wrote about Catherine Hayes in her diary, her American tour was produced by P.T. Barnum, and Captain John Sutter paid the highest price ever recorded to hear Miss Hayes from the front row when she sang in Sacramento. Why isn't she remembered here today? What were the songs and arias that moved so many critics and countless music lovers to extravagant praise? Was the acclaimed actress Helen Hayes really related to The Swan of Erin? Soprano Catherine Gordon sings seven of the compositions that made Miss Hayes famous , an...