Loudoun Symphony Orchestra and Ion Arena Collaborate for Ice on Fire

BY DANA ARMSTRONG

Loudoun Symphony Orchestra will be hitting the ice this month to play live alongside some of the world’s best ice skaters at Ion Arena—including Olympian figure skater Gracie Gold.

The June 10 performance, titled “Ice on Fire,” will feature the LSO playing a selection of music with fiery, emotive dance themes. This extremely rare collaboration of live music and ice skating has been in the works since before Ion International Training Center’s 2019 opening.

Ion Chief Operating Officer Mitra Setayesh discovered the LSO through their regular performances at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Ashburn. She quickly became a fan and approached Michael Egan, the late president emeritus of the Loudoun Symphony, to offer the arena as a performance space for the orchestra.

At first, the idea of filling the 3,500seat Ion Arena with an audience was a startling proposition for Egan. But it was one they agreed would be mutually beneficial for expanding the reach of Ion and the LSO to both ice skating and classical music fans.

“When I took on this performance … I instantly saw a connection between the artistry and athleticism involved in ballet to ice dancing and ice skating,” said Hayden Denesha, LSO’s conductor for Ice on Fire, who also serves as musical director and conductor of Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra.

“Though I frankly don’t know really anything about ice skating, as a conductor working some with ballet in my background, I noticed crossover in the repertoire choices. When you turn on the Olympics and watch them, a lot of Olympic skaters will choose some of these pieces I have on our program,” Denesha said.

Pieces such as Danzón No. 2 by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, the main theme from “Chariots of Fire,” the Firebird Suite from Stravinsky’s ballet (a favorite among the orchestra’s musicians), and more make the list.

True to form, the Russian Olympic team will skate to a collection of Tchaikovsky’s waltzes from the ballet Swan Lake. Plus, ice skaters from Ion’s top ranked ice dance academy in the nation and members of the US Olympic team will perform choreographed routines to the orchestra’s live music.

The night is headlined by leading figure skaters Olympian Gracie Gold, “Quad King” Ilia Malinin (the first skater to land a quadruple axel), and Canadian champion skater Keegan Messing.

“A 60-piece orchestra in an ice rink