Meet the Soloists: Joel Cardoso, Riccardo Marra & the Musicians Behind United Soloists Orchestra
United Soloists Orchestra isn't a faceless ensemble — it's built from named, individually searchable soloists with international pedigrees. Clarinettist Joel Cardoso, guitarist Riccardo Marra and Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov are three of them, each with their own recordings, competitions and stages. Here's who actually plays when you book USO.
Who is Joel Cardoso?
Joel Cardoso is a Portuguese clarinettist and one of USO's core soloists. He's a member of the KKL-resident City Light Orchestra, he collaborates regularly with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and the Argovia Philharmonic, and he has won more than two dozen international competitions across eight countries.
Those prizes came from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Thailand, Poland and Peru — the kind of track record that doesn't happen by accident. He's played festivals in Lucerne, Zermatt, Grafenegg, Aurora, Animato, Höri and Davos, and as an ambassador of the Lucerne Festival Academy he has performed alongside musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic. After auditions, he was invited to play with the Estonian National Opera and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid at the Teatro Real.
How he trained
Joel earned his first diploma with full marks in Portugal, at the Guimarães Conservatory, then graduated from the University of Minho. He went on to the Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen to study historically informed performance, completed a master's at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana on a Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship, and since 2021 has been studying at the Hochschule Luzern with Paolo Beltramini and Robert Pickup.
He's also a genuine online performer: his Rovere Trio clips have racked up millions of views. When Joel is the clarinet voice in a USO programme, that's the pedigree standing next to you.
Who is Riccardo Marra?
Riccardo Marra is an Italian guitarist who joined USO in 2022. His first date with the orchestra was at the Congress Palace in Lugano, in a programme conducted by Arseniy Shkaptsov — that concert started a collaboration that has since taken him into USO shows across several of the main Swiss cities.
Riccardo's route to the guitar started early: clarinet at six, electric guitar at eleven, then classical guitar at the A. Manzoni music high school in Varese and jazz and fusion guitar at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Como under Bebo Ferra. He's as comfortable in heavy metal and ska as he is reading a symphonic chart.
A working touring musician
Away from USO he's a busy professional. He founded the jazz-fusion project Basket Bounce, toured with artists including Ivan Ciccarelli and the gospel singer Sherrita Duran, played the Sforza Castle in Milan and a rugby stadium in Varese in front of 15,000 people, and toured Germany and the Czech Republic. Today he fronts his own rock trio The Fool and works as a producer and arranger — you can hear one of his tracks on Spotify.
That breadth is exactly why a crossover orchestra wants him: a guitarist who can sit inside a string section one night and drive a rock encore the next.
What pedigree stands behind the orchestra?
The orchestra is led by Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov, who studied in Moscow, Lugano and Zurich and has worked with the likes of Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martha Argerich and Ennio Morricone. Around him sit players who've shared stages with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and La Scala — real CVs, not marketing.
Arseniy's mentors include Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti and Vladimir Fedoseev. He made his debut with the Orchestra della Toscana and the Athens Philharmonia, and opened a season of the Lausanne Sinfonietta. He also lives a parallel life in jazz — his album Bassoonova went straight to number one on the iTunes jazz chart in Finland.
"Confident and fluid conducting baton… great mastery of the difficult repertoire… a wonderful ensemble in balanced dialogue with the piano." — Cremona Sera
This is the point of a roster of soloists: the person conducting, arranging and playing has a name and a history you can check. Nothing about USO is anonymous.
Why does a named roster matter — for audiences and for bookers?
Because names are proof. For fans and students, individually searchable soloists mean you can follow the real artist on stage, read their story and hear their recordings. For a promoter or event booker, a named, pedigreed roster is quality you can verify before you sign — not an anonymous pool of last-minute deps.
When you look up "joel cardoso clarinet" or "riccardo marra" and land on a real biography, competitions and media, that's E-E-A-T you can trust — and it's the same reassurance a client feels when they hire USO for a concert or a private event.
The booker's shortcut to confidence
- Verifiable people — every soloist has a public profile, socials and a discography you can check.
- International training — conservatories and festivals across Europe, not a local pickup band.
- A conductor with references — a press-reviewed Music Director who has stood in front of major orchestras.
Browse the full line-up on the roster page, and if you're programming a concert, tour or event, the for-promoters dossier lays out the proof. Tell us the sound you want and we'll build the line-up with you — write to artistic director Arseniy Shkaptsov at ars@uso.swiss.
FAQ
How many musicians are in United Soloists Orchestra?
USO is a rotating pool of named soloists rather than a fixed block. Depending on the programme it scales from a small chamber ensemble of around twelve players up to a full orchestra of twenty-five or more — the same core of verifiable soloists, sized to the show.
Where do USO's musicians come from?
They're international. Joel Cardoso trained in Portugal and is based in Switzerland; Riccardo Marra is Italian; Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov studied in Moscow, Lugano and Zurich. Between them the roster carries training and stage experience from conservatories and festivals right across Europe.
Can I book USO with a specific soloist, like Joel on clarinet?
Tell us who and what you have in mind and we'll build the line-up around it. The exact casting is arranged with the artistic director for each date — the simplest way is to email Arseniy Shkaptsov at ars@uso.swiss or use the for-promoters enquiry form.
Who conducts United Soloists Orchestra?
Arseniy Shkaptsov is USO's Music Director and conductor. He studied in Moscow, Lugano and Zurich, has collaborated with figures such as Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev and Martha Argerich, and has been praised in the press for his "confident and fluid" baton.
Where can I see the full roster?
Every published soloist has their own page under the orchestra's musicians section. Start at uso.swiss/about/musicians to see the whole line-up, with instruments, biographies and links to each artist's own channels.