Bel Canto teams up with the Starlight Symphony to perform horse dancing

In a very unusual pairing of musicians and equestrians, the Starlight Symphony Orchestra will give a live performance at Bel Canto Farms to play music for riders presenting musical dressage routines.

Riders will perform Dressage Musical Freestyle in the Bel Canto arena on June 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.

From the French meaning “training,” dressage is an equestrian sport in which a horse and rider perform from memory a series of predetermined movements. Dressage takes years of hard work and patient training to master. Musical dressage means the horse and rider perform the movements to music. Dressage Musical Freestyle is also an Olympic sport. What makes the performance on June 15 so unusual is that the routine will be performed to live music.

The event’s featured rider, Carol Schmickrath from Georgetown, will be inducted during the event into a nationally known group for Senior dressage riders and horses. She is only the fifth person nationally to receive this invitation. The Century Club recognizes dressage riders and horses whose combined ages total 100 years.

Under the direction of David Oertel, the Starlight Symphony will play classical works from Greig’s Holberg Suite, Jenkins’ Palladio, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, Vivaldi, Copland, and Boccherini, as well as music from the film series, “Game of Thrones.” Classical guitarist Mark Cruz will play the Vivaldi Guitar Concerto. In addition to the assembled symphony, a woodwind ensemble, a brass quintet, and an oboe and voice duet will perform.

Nine riders and their horses will dance to the live music: Carol Schmickrath from Georgetown, Ashley Hammill from San Antonio, Deirdre Sabo- Frary from Salado, Bailey West from Canyon Lake, Elise Wood from Dripping Springs, Jenna Stern-Arnold from Pflugerville, Nick and Ila Handy from Boerne, and Bel Canto’s owner Suzanne Warmack.

Bel Canto Farms is a Hunter-Jumper-Dressage training facility located at 4205 Lone Man Mountain Rd. in Wimberley. Bel Canto Farms owner, Suzanne Warmack, who suggested the idea of this unusual collaboration, is also a member of the Starlight Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for the event are available at star-lightsymphony. org. VIP tickets are $75 each and lawn seating tickets are $30. Children 12 and under are free.