Why United Soloists Orchestra Was Built From Soloists, Not Around a Conductor

United Soloists Orchestra is not a fixed-seat orchestra. It is a rotating circle of soloist-calibre musicians — several with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, La Scala, Lausanne Sinfonietta and major international orchestras — assembled and arranged by Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov. The name is literal: united soloists, not a roster locked into chairs.

What does “soloist-led” actually mean in practice?

It means the line-up changes to fit the show. A core group of players performs regularly because their own schedules are flexible enough to travel with USO. Others join whenever they can step away from positions in major orchestras. For every concert or tour, Arseniy casts the ensemble for the room, the programme and the musical chemistry he wants.

This is the opposite of a traditional orchestra, where the same musicians hold the same chairs year after year. USO's model trades that fixed structure for versatility: a clarinettist from the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester one night, a guitarist from the rock circuit the next, a violinist from La Scala when the opera season allows. The common thread is that each person arrives as a soloist in their own right.

The atmosphere is different too. In an interview, Arseniy described the mutual fascination between classical and pop musicians: classical players are amazed when pop artists walk in and play “without rehearsals”; pop artists look back and say, “I could never do that — we couldn't play symphonies.” That exchange is only possible when everyone in the room is used to leading, not just following.

A small example: after a concert with Stefano Bollani in Chiasso, Bollani was so enthusiastic he said he wanted to take the audience on tour — adding, “Yes, with all of them there is a great understanding, and do you know why? They are young.”

Who's behind the arranging and programming?

Arseniy Shkaptsov — founder, Music Director, conductor and arranger — decides what USO plays and how it sounds. He was born into a musical family, studied at the Moscow Central Music School, continued in Lugano at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana and in Zurich at the Zurich University of the Arts. His mentors include Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Daniele Gatti and Vladimir Fedoseev.

His resume as a bassoonist and conductor covers the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orchestra della Toscana, Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and others. He has shared stages with Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ennio Morricone, Martha Argerich, Stefano Bollani and Gidon Kremer. He also leads a parallel jazz life: his albums Canon and Bassoonova reached #1 on the iTunes Jazz Finland chart.

That background matters because Arseniy writes or adapts much of the material himself. If you want to understand how a pop song becomes a symphonic arrangement, read our piece on how Arseniy arranges pop songs for orchestra — the craft piece to this organisational one.

What does the calibre of the roster look like up close?

Take two regular faces — Joel Cardoso and Riccardo Marra — and you quickly see what soloist-led means in practice: not a fixed hierarchy, but a network of players who lead their own projects with major orchestras and still choose to come back to USO.

Joel is a clarinettist and a member of the City Light Orchestra at the KKL in Lucerne. He also collaborates with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and Argovia Philharmonic, and has been selected for the Zermatt Music Festival, where he worked with musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic. He won more than two dozen international competitions and completed a master's at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana before continuing at the Hochschule Luzern.

Riccardo is a guitarist who moves between heavy metal, jazz, fusion and classical worlds. He first connected with USO through the Symphony Rock Orchestra concert at the Congress Palace in Lugano, and has since played USO programmes across Swiss cities. Outside USO he tours with his rock trio The Fool and the groups Crazy Legs and Motoroll, and works as a producer and arranger.

They are not exceptions. The wider USO family includes musicians who have played at Teatro alla Scala (Andrea Masciarelli, Livia Graziano, Nicolò Neri, Giuseppe Cima, Silvia Concas, Cecilia Aliffi, Angelo Maria Orsini, Raffaele Sabato), Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich (Clementina Françoise Elsa Valente, Elisa Netzer, Sandro Meszaros), Luzerner Sinfonieorchester (Joel Cardoso), Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro La Fenice, Arena di Verona, RAI National Symphony Orchestra and others. You can explore the full roster on the musicians page.

How has this been received?

The press has described USO as both technically mature and genuinely fresh. After a sold-out concert at the church of San Francesco in Locarno, Corriere del Ticino ran the headline “United Soloist Orchestra, il piacere della leggerezza” — “the pleasure of lightness.” Ticino Welcome, in August 2025, called USO “l'ensemble che rivoluziona la musica in Europa” — the ensemble revolutionising music in Europe.

“Confident and fluid conducting baton… great mastery of the difficult repertoire… a wonderful ensemble… in balanced dialogue.”

— Cremona Sera, on Arseniy Shkaptsov and United Soloists Orchestra

Cremona Sera's review, after USO opened the Teatro Ponchielli season with Stefano Bollani in May 2021, noted that despite the ensemble's youth, it produced a “mature, solid and very expressive sound.” That is the recurring observation: soloist-level individual skill, channelled into an ensemble that still breathes together.

For a closer look at two of the musicians who make that sound possible, see our profile Meet the Soloists: Joel Cardoso & Riccardo Marra.

Frequently asked questions

Is United Soloists Orchestra a fixed orchestra or a collective?

Neither, exactly. USO has a core of regular players, but the full roster rotates. Musicians join when their schedules in other orchestras and projects allow, so the line-up is shaped for each show rather than fixed by chair.

Who chooses the musicians for each show?

Music Director Arseniy Shkaptsov casts every programme. He decides which combination of soloists fits the venue, the repertoire and the chemistry he wants for that night.

Where do the musicians normally play?

Many perform, or have performed, with major orchestras and opera houses: Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Teatro alla Scala, Lausanne Sinfonietta, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro La Fenice and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Does the rotating roster affect sound quality show to show?

It does not weaken it — it refreshes it. The rotation guarantees performances of the highest quality and ease, keeping a mature, solid and very expressive sound because only top-level young professionals are brought in.

How is this different from a traditional conductor-led orchestra?

A traditional orchestra is built around a fixed roster and a conductor who leads it. USO is built around a network of soloists who also lead their own careers, gathered and arranged by one Music Director. The conductor is still central, but the raw material is individual virtuosity rather than institutional permanence.

If you are a promoter, corporate booker or journalist and want to see the touring record, the full roster or the available programmes, visit For Promoters or Arseniy Shkaptsov's profile.

Written by Arseniy Shkaptsov, founder and Music Director of United Soloists Orchestra.