Booking United Soloists Orchestra — Our Touring Record, Press & What Presenters Get
The United Soloists Orchestra is a Swiss classical crossover orchestra — a pops orchestra where classic meets pop — scalable from 12 to 65 musicians and built to tour. In just a few years we've played sold-out halls from Switzerland to a 14-concert tour of China, opened Teatro Ponchielli's season in Cremona with Stefano Bollani, and we travel with our own technical equipment. For a promoter weighing an unfamiliar ensemble, that means verifiable proof, fewer surprises, and often a lower total cost.
Where has USO actually performed?
Across Switzerland, Italy and China — in halls from 500 to 3,000 seats, many of them sold out. Our touring record is real, documented in our own archive and our public press dossier, and it is the first thing a promoter can verify.
In December 2024 we toured China with 14 concerts, in cities including Wuhan, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Qingdao, Changsha and Hefei. We opened with classical programmes — then, for the encores, we played ABBA's Mamma Mia and Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, and the audiences got out of their seats and danced, ending on standing ovations. Halls ranged from around 80% full to completely sold out.
In Switzerland and Italy we've built a deep presence: a 60-piece orchestra alongside pianist Stefano Bollani at Cremona's Teatro Ponchielli and the Cinema Teatro Chiasso, a 25-piece Symphonic ABBA & Beatles at the Teatro di Locarno, and intimate lineups like the Exotic Event at Lugano's Villa Castagnola, sized for rooms of up to 100 guests. Whatever the stage, we bring a programme built for it.
Concert photography: AK Photography (Andrey Klimontov).
How did the Stefano Bollani collaboration happen?
It started with an invitation. When Cremona's Teatro Ponchielli asked us to open their concert season, we wanted an Italian guest who fit both the classical world and our young, crossover spirit. We thought: "Let's call Stefano Bollani — though he'll never say yes to an orchestra like ours." We sent him our videos. He said yes. And he has kept coming back to play with us ever since.
Independent critics noticed. laRegione.ch reviewed our Bollani / Gershwin concert in Chiasso (17 October 2021), praising its "energia e precisione d'intenti", and Ticino Welcome covered Bollani with us at the LAC in Lugano (28 January 2025).
Who vouches for the orchestra?
Independent press and the presenters who have hosted us. You don't have to take our word for any of it — here is the press wall, quoted exactly, with sources and dates:
- laRegione.ch, 17 October 2021 — reviewing the Bollani / Gershwin concert in Chiasso: "energia e precisione d'intenti".
- Cremona Sera — on our Music Director: "Confident and fluid conducting baton of Arseniy Shkaptsov who, despite his young age, showed great mastery of the difficult repertoire… creating a wonderful ensemble with the piano in a balanced dialogue".
- Ticino Welcome, 17 August 2025 — "l'ensemble che rivoluziona la musica in Europa".
- RSI (Radiotelevisione Svizzera), 27 September 2025 — an interview on our "start-up orchestra" philosophy.
Presenters say it more plainly. After our Symphonic Disco show at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne, the hall's manager, Vanessa Bochsler, told us:
In ten years running this venue, I’ve never seen a show like it — the whole room was dancing. I honestly thought the balcony might come down.
Who is on stage?
Young virtuoso soloists from Europe's most prestigious orchestras. Our players collaborate regularly with ensembles such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and l'Orchestra della Scala, brought together under one baton for a programme designed to move a broad audience.
Our Music Director, conductor and arranger Arseniy Shkaptsov, writes many of the arrangements himself — which is why our crossover programmes sound like real symphonic music, never a reduction. He studied in Moscow, Lugano and Zurich and has shared the stage or worked with Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ennio Morricone, Martha Argerich, Stefano Bollani and Gidon Kremer.
What does a promoter actually need to know?
Two things shape any booking: the programme and the riders — and on both, we're built to make your life easier.
The programme. If you already have a show in mind, we'll perform it; if not, we'll design one with you, from a full symphonic evening to a symphonic tribute show the whole hall can dance to.
The technical rider. This is usually the expensive part of touring a full orchestra — mics, in-ears, monitors and backline for 30 to 60 players can cost a fortune to rent. We own our technical equipment and bring it with us when we travel by bus, so you're not renting a PA and backline on top of the fee. Fewer surprises, and often a lower total cost than you'd expect for a show this size.
The hospitality rider. Travel, accommodation and meals are straightforward and worked out per date when we build your proposal.
What can you book?
A broad, ready-to-tour catalog. Flagship shows include Symphonic Greatest Hits (34 musicians, 90 minutes), Symphonic Alternative Rock, and The Grand Romance Gala (up to 65 musicians) — alongside crossover formats like Symphonic Disco, Coldplay in Symphony, Music of Ludovico Einaudi, Frank Sinatra & Friends and more. Each comes with its own Spotify setlist, so you can hear exactly what the evening contains before you commit. On our for-promoters page you'll find every programme in detail, plus our Media Gallery, Press Dossier, Statutes and Commercial Register Extract — everything a presenter needs for due diligence, already published.
How do we start?
Start a conversation, not a transaction. Promoters usually take their time — so tell our artistic director the idea you have in mind, and we'll shape a programme, an ensemble size and the logistics around it. Write to Arseniy Shkaptsov directly at ars@uso.swiss, or send an enquiry through our for-promoters page. Whether it's a chamber lineup in a villa or a 65-piece gala, we'll come back with something built for your stage.
Written by Arseniy Shkaptsov — founder, Music Director, conductor and arranger of the United Soloists Orchestra. Trained in Moscow (Central Music School), Lugano (Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana) and Zurich (Zurich University of the Arts), he has worked with Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Ennio Morricone, Martha Argerich, Stefano Bollani and Gidon Kremer, and writes many of USO's arrangements himself. Read his full biography.
FAQ
What kind of orchestra is USO?
A classical crossover orchestra — a pops orchestra where classic meets pop. We perform everything from full symphonic programmes to symphonic tribute shows (ABBA, Coldplay, disco), scaled from 12 to 65 musicians.
Do we need to rent sound equipment?
Usually not. We own our technical equipment — mics, in-ears, monitors and backline — and bring it with us when we tour by bus, which typically saves the promoter a significant rental cost.
How big is the orchestra, and how much space do you need?
Anything from about 12 to 65 musicians. We match the ensemble to your room and programme, and confirm exact stage and technical requirements per date.
Where have you toured?
Across Switzerland and Italy, and internationally — including a 14-concert tour of China in December 2024, in halls of 500 to 3,000 seats.
How do we get a proposal?
Write to our artistic director at ars@uso.swiss or use the enquiry form on our for-promoters page. Tell us your venue, date, audience size and the mood you want, and we'll design a programme and ensemble to fit.