Arseniy Shkaptsov

Arseniy Shkaptsov is a conductor praised for a confident, fluid baton—steering sudden changes of tempo and dynamics with clarity, while keeping ensemble textures clean and balanced in dialogue with the piano.

Growing up in a family of musicians (his father a conductor, his mother a violinist), he studied at the Central Music School in Moscow and in 2011 moved to Switzerland to continue in Lugano at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana (as bassoonist with Gabor Meszaros) and in Zurich at the Zurich University of the Arts (as conductor with Christof Brunner and Marc Kissoczy).

In the 2022/23 season, highlights included his debut with the Orchestra della Toscana (Italy) and Athene Philharmonia Orchestra (Greece), and in 2024 he opened the season of the Lausanne Sinfonietta. His mentors include Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti, and Vladimir Fedoseev.

For USO’s crossover work, his background as both conductor and active bassoonist—alongside a parallel life in jazz—supports a flexible musical language and a clear focus on bringing cultures together. In 2017, he founded an association to support and promote young artists.