From Pop Song to Full Orchestra — How Arseniy Shkaptsov Arranges USO's Shows

When USO plays Coldplay or Tchaikovsky, you're hearing an original arrangement — not an off-the-shelf chart. Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov rewrites each song for the full orchestra himself, deciding which instrument carries the tune and inventing the string and wind parts from scratch. That's why every show sounds like USO and nobody else.

What does an orchestral arranger actually do?

An arranger takes an existing song and rewrites it for a specific group of instruments. Arseniy starts from any sheet music he can find — a piano or guitar lead sheet — or transcribes the track by ear. He locks in the clear lines (bass, guitar, piano, drums), then invents the strings and winds from the song's harmony and mood.

Transcribing by ear is the slow part. When no usable score exists online, every note has to be written down from listening alone before the real work even begins. Once the skeleton is on paper, the creative side takes over.

In practice, one arrangement moves through a few clear stages:

• Find or transcribe — hunt for a lead sheet (piano or guitar), or write the song down by ear if none exists.
• Lock the obvious lines — bass, guitar, piano and drums, the parts that are already unmistakable in the recording.
• Invent the orchestra — build fresh string and wind parts around the harmony, mood and style, so nobody is just counting rests.

That last step is where a genre-fluid orchestra earns its name — the Symphonic Alternative Rock and Coldplay in Symphony setlists are, in effect, a folder of these original charts.

«prendere una serie di classici del pop e riarrangiarli (ammorbidendoli) in chiave sinfonica» — roughly, “take a series of pop classics and re-arrange them, softening them, into a symphonic key.” — Corriere del Ticino, Mauro Rossi, 19 April 2026

How do you turn a Coldplay track into a symphony?

Take Viva la Vida from Coldplay in Symphony. The hardest part is the lead vocal: hand it to just one instrument and it turns repetitive, when a whole orchestra is sitting there waiting to play. So Arseniy shares the melody around the sections — and saves the big “oh-oh-oh” chorus for a loud, clear voice.

Instrument knowledge decides who gets what. That soaring hook can't go to a double bass, an oboe or a bassoon — it needs to cut through the whole ensemble, so it lands on something bright and unmistakable like the trumpet. The moment where the orchestra does something the original recording never could is exactly this: dozens of voices lifting a line one singer once carried alone.

You can hear the whole worked programme on the official Coldplay in Symphony playlist and the Symphonic Alternative Rock playlist — every track is one of these original arrangements.

What's different about arranging the classics — “Swan Lake, arr. Shkaptsov”?

For the Tchaikovsky-180 programme at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, Arseniy condensed the three-hour Swan Lake ballet into a 45-minute suite of his own — re-ordering numbers and cutting in different spots. The two published suites everyone knows skip some of the ballet's best music, so he built one that doesn't.

Arranging the classics is less about inventing new parts and more about editing: choosing which scenes survive, how they flow together, and how to re-voice a huge score for USO's forces without losing the drama. The result is credited exactly as it should be — “Swan Lake, arr. Arseniy Shkaptsov” — a piece of authorship you can point to on the printed programme.

How long does an arrangement take, and how many musicians play it?

It depends on how special the arrangement should be. A five-minute song can take three hours if it's simple — long notes in the violins, plenty of rests — or up to two days at five or six hours each when Arseniy wants it to really shine. There's no fixed rate; the ambition sets the clock.

The forces are just as flexible. Shows like Coldplay in Symphony and Symphonic Disco put around 25 musicians on stage, growing to 35 depending on the venue and the budget. Every chart is written with that specific line-up in mind, so the arrangement and the ensemble always match.

Can USO arrange a specific song for your event?

Yes. Bespoke arrangements are a real part of what USO offers — you can ask for a particular song written for your wedding, gala or corporate night. Because writing a brand-new chart takes genuine time, some requests need extra lead time and budget, so the earlier you talk to us, the more we can do.

This is the craft that underwrites everything USO puts on stage: a first-hand, verifiable arranging process rather than rented charts. If you have a song in mind, it can almost certainly be written in symphony for your night.

Who is Arseniy Shkaptsov?

Arseniy Shkaptsov is USO's founder, Music Director, conductor and arranger. Trained as a bassoonist and conductor in Moscow, Lugano (Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana) and Zurich, he has worked with Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Ennio Morricone and Stefano Bollani, and counts Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti and Vladimir Fedoseev among his mentors.

His jazz album Bassoonova went straight to the top of the iTunes jazz chart in Finland, and his symphonic work spans orchestras across Europe. You can read the full biography on his author page.

“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.” — Cremona Sera

Want to hear these arrangements in a hall around you? Find the next dates on our events page — or if you're planning something and want a custom show built for it, talk to Arseniy directly at ars@uso.swiss or through the for-promoters enquiry form.

Photography: AK Photography (Andrey Klimontov).

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to arrange a pop song for orchestra?

Anywhere from about three hours for a simple five-minute song to two full days when Arseniy wants the arrangement to really stand out. The time depends entirely on how detailed and original the chart needs to be.

How many musicians play a USO arrangement?

Shows like Coldplay in Symphony and Symphonic Disco are written for around 25 musicians on stage, growing to about 35 depending on the venue and budget. Each arrangement is scored for that exact line-up.

Can I request a custom arrangement for my event?

Yes. USO writes bespoke arrangements for weddings, galas and corporate events. Because a new chart takes real time to write, custom requests may need extra lead time and budget — reach out early at ars@uso.swiss.

Where can I hear USO's arrangements?

Live on stage — see the dates on our events page — and on the official Spotify setlists for Coldplay in Symphony and Symphonic Alternative Rock, where every track is one of these original charts.

Does Arseniy Shkaptsov write the arrangements himself?

Yes. As USO's Music Director and arranger he writes the charts personally, from the first transcription to the final orchestration — including his own 45-minute suite of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, credited as “Swan Lake, arr. Arseniy Shkaptsov.”