How a Season-Opening Invitation Became a Recurring Stefano Bollani Collaboration — What It Signals to Promoters

United Soloists Orchestra is a Ticino-based symphonic orchestra of working soloists, founded in 2017. Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona invited us to open its season, so we sent Stefano Bollani our videos — not expecting a yes. He said yes, and he keeps coming back. For a promoter, that repeat trust is the proof that matters.

How did the Stefano Bollani collaboration actually start?

It started with a season-opening invitation. Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona asked United Soloists Orchestra to open its season, so we sent Stefano Bollani a few of our videos — honestly not expecting him to say yes. He did. That first night grew into repeat concerts, and further invitations to Chiasso and the LAC in Lugano followed.

That first programme reached right across jazz and symphony. Beside Gershwin, we played Duke Ellington’s Three Black Kings, Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, Chick Corea’s Spain and Bollani’s own Concerto Verde. The hall answered with standing ovations — the first sign that this would be more than a one-off.

What did the press and the audiences say?

Two things, both on the record. In Chiasso, laRegione.ch (17 October 2021, F. Agosta) praised the Bollani–Gershwin evening for its “energia e precisione d’intenti” — energy and precision of intent. In January 2025, Ticino Welcome previewed Bollani’s return to the LAC in Lugano. And the audiences answered with standing ovations.

“Energia e precisione d’intenti.” — laRegione.ch, 17 October 2021 (F. Agosta), on the Bollani–Gershwin concert in Chiasso.

On 6 February 2025, Bollani returned for a carte-blanche night at the LAC in Lugano: Bernstein’s Mambo from West Side Story, Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2, an untitled Bollani work for piano and orchestra, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Here is his own take on why that repertoire fits him:

“For a musician, the most important thing is to try to escape the categorizations you are given, which later influence what you do. Gershwin is a great example of extreme freedom in composing.” — Stefano Bollani

What does a repeat marquee-artist collaboration tell a promoter?

That the risk is already de-risked. A marquee artist like Stefano Bollani doesn’t return to an orchestra that can’t hold the stage with him. A repeat collaboration signals reliability at scale, real chemistry with a demanding soloist, and an ensemble that a serious institution trusts to open its season. For a promoter, that is bookable confidence.

Read simply, the story says three things about United Soloists Orchestra:

• An institution chose us first. Teatro Ponchielli’s season-opening invitation is a vote of confidence from a historic Italian opera house.
• A marquee artist chose to stay. Bollani didn’t play once and move on — he keeps coming back, and a further collaboration is booked for 2027.
• The doors kept opening. That first night led to invitations to Chiasso and the LAC in Lugano.

We’d rather show you this than claim to be the best orchestra in the room. The proof is who invited us, who returned, and how the halls reacted.

What can United Soloists build with a guest artist for your date?

Whatever your programme needs. We arrange and rehearse bespoke symphonic sets around a guest artist — as we did with Bollani, blending Gershwin, Ellington and original works. USO tours self-equipped, has played from Ticino to a 14-concert tour of China, and shapes each night to your hall. Tell us your idea and we’ll build it.

If you programme festivals or concert seasons, our promoter dossier gathers the press, the touring record and the full catalogue in one place — and you can see how we approach a crossover orchestra booking from first idea to stage.

Want to build something with a guest artist for your date? Talk ideas directly with artistic director Arseniy Shkaptsov at ars@uso.swiss, or send a note through the /for-promoters enquiry form.

Who writes this — and why it matters

This piece is written by Arseniy Shkaptsov, artistic and music director of United Soloists Orchestra. He studied conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts and bassoon at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, was mentored by Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti and Vladimir Fedoseev, and has shared the stage or worked with artists including Stefano Bollani, Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer and Ennio Morricone.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Bollani collaboration still ongoing?

Yes. It began with the Teatro Ponchielli season opener and continued through Chiasso and the LAC in Lugano, and a further collaboration with Stefano Bollani is booked for 2027.

Where has United Soloists Orchestra performed with Stefano Bollani?

At Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona (a season-opening concert), in Chiasso in 2021, and at the LAC in Lugano on 6 February 2025.

Can you build a guest-artist programme for our festival or season?

Yes. We arrange bespoke symphonic programmes around a guest soloist and tour self-equipped, bringing our own technical gear. Write to ars@uso.swiss with your date and idea.

How do we start a conversation about booking?

Email artistic director Arseniy Shkaptsov at ars@uso.swiss, or use the enquiry form on /for-promoters. Promoter decisions take time, so start early and we’ll shape a programme with you.

Photos: AK Photography (Andrey Klimontov).