CofC Voice Professor Places 9th in U.S. Dressage Finals

^{Photos by Susan J Stickle Photography}

Amanda Castellone, an instructor of voice and opera in the College of Charleston Department of Music, is equally comfortable in a dressage saddle atop her horse and singing opera in front of large audiences. And she’s teaching her students about the mental fortitude it takes to practice, prepare and steel their nerves before an important performance.

“There’s so much overlap between the music world and the riding world,” says Castellone, who recently placed ninth in the nation as an Adult Amateur in the Training Level category in the U.S. Dressage Finals, held at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio.

Castellone makes time for both of her passions, riding her 5-year-old horse, Zenon’s Crusador (aka ZZ), every morning before coming to campus, and often taking red-eye flights from weekend horse shows to be back in the classroom early Monday mornings. 

After the finals at the WEC, for example, she rushed back to campus to help her students prepare for the upcoming OpERAS Tour, being held Nov. 14 and 15, 2025. Castellone is directing the show, which is loosely based on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour idea, representing different eras of life and music.

“Being on stage, it’s your five minutes of just you and everyone looking at you,” says Castellone. “The riding and competing, for me, is equal to preparing music and performing it.”

With a lifetime of horseback riding (she fell in love with horses at age 10 and competed on the equestrian team in college) and an equally impressive focus on music performance, Castellone understands the pressure that performers feel. That’s why it has been so important for her to focus on student community, not competition.

“One of the things we work really hard on in the music department and in the voice area is our sense of community,” she says. “The students formed a social and academic cohort, and a really great sense of camaraderie as we’re putting OpERAS together, and as we’re working toward our trip to Boston with the orchestra in March. It’s really neat to be here.”

The support and sense of community is a two-way street for Castellone, who often shows her colleagues videos of her weekend competitions. Her students also benefit from her having a foot in both worlds.

“The pressure-cooker environment is real in both of these worlds, and one prepares me for the other,” she says. “In that way, I can bring that experience to my students and teach them about how to handle it well.” 

For Castellone, the drive to perform both in the riding ring and on the stage peacefully coexist with one another.

“I ride horses a lot. I’m invested in the sport,” says Castellone, who will join her faculty colleagues on stage at the Voice Faculty Showcase on Jan. 12, 2026. “While I’m passionate about riding, I also have a musical career I love.”

Indeed: Castellone is ready to take the reins in either arena.