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 3,500-seat 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 is a pretty Herculean task, but we’re going to get it done and it will be good,” Denesha said.

He will be conducting the orchestra from a stage laid over the top of a portion of the ice.

"I have played in venues ranging from small churches to some of the biggest theaters in the country, but an ice rink? That’s the most interesting by far,” said Nicholas Bulgarino, a trombonist for the LSO and player representative on LSO’s Board of Directors.

“There are a lot of challenges in performing in a space not designed primarily for an orchestra. Some instruments are very climate sensitive, as you can imagine. Everything in the venue will affect how we sound: the height of the ceiling, all the rigging and other audio equipment we will use, the number of people in the audience, and especially the ice.”

Although the stage on the ice will provide some insulation from the cold, orchestra members are already planning other ways to keep themselves warmed up.

“Finding ways to keep our fingers warm enough to tackle some of the technical repertoire might be tricky. I plan to keep hand warmers in my pockets,” said Michelle Rippey, a flute and piccolo player and vice president of LSO’s board of directors.

“I suspect the audience energy in such a large venue will be thrilling for us. The opportunity to partner with professional ice dancers is very exciting and has the potential to really showcase the orchestra and expand our reach within the community,” she said.

After nearly a year of back-and-forth meetings between the ION and LSO teams and countless hours of practice for both the ice skaters and orchestra members, all are excited to see this innovative show come to life. 

“Overall, this is a massive community-wide collaboration, and there’s certain symbolism within that. Loudoun County has so much innovation in it from the school system to the tech industry to the arts, but I rarely see a lot of people working together to create something really big like this,” Denesha said.

“My thing as a conductor is what can we do to bring the community together and get more people interested in classical music? And if we show that classical music can be accessible to other mediums—whether it’s in the arts or athletics in the case of this one—that’s going to spark a curiosity that generates more listeners and enthusiasm.”

“Maybe it will generate the interest of some young people who want to pursue music and make it a part of their life.”

ION Arena and the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra’s show, Ice on Fire, occurs at 6 PM on Saturday, June 10. The address is 19201 Compass Creek Pkwy SE in Leesburg. For details and tickets, go to ionarena.com.