Opera singers are constantly travelling, constantly packing or unpacking this or that suitcase, so the concept of the "Suitcase aria" is one which immediately resonates! “Suitcase arias” or "Arie di Baule" were given this name because famous singers throughout the 17th and 18th centuries brought them with them on their travels, and these arias were regularly "inserted" into operas by other composers or into pasticcios with the work of several composers (for this reason they were also sometimes referred to as "insertion arias"). They were “party pieces”, usually written specifically for a specific singer (Farinelli was a famous example) as a vehicle to show off their unique strengths as a performer. Imagine being able to insert your own favourite aria of choice instead of what the composer of the opera had written! Join mezzo soprano Sharon Carty with Baroque ensemble in the Long Gallery, for an entire concert of these showcase pieces, some well-known, some less so, in the exquisite surrounds of Castletown House