Italian native Roberto Plano performed all over the world appearing with prestigious orchestras (Kremerata Baltica, Houston Symphony, Berliner Philarmoniker Camerata, Festival Strings Luzern…) under the direction of renowned conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, James Conlon, Pinchas Zuckerman, Miguel Harth-Bedoya; as a recitalist he played at Lincoln Center, Sala Verdi, Salle Cortot, Wigmore Hall, Herculessaal and at the internationally acclaimed Newport Festival, Portland Piano Festival, Ravinia Festival, Gilmore International Keyboard Festival (USA), Chopin Festival (Poland), Gijon International Piano Festival (Spain), Bologna Festival (Italy)… An avid chamber musician as well, Mr. Plano played with some of the most prestigious string quartets in the world such as the Takacs, Cremona, St. Petersburg, Fine Arts, Jupiter, Muir.
First Prize Winner at the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, Prize Winner at the Honens, Dublin, Sendai, Geza Anda and Valencia competitions and Finalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn, Mr. Plano’s engaging personality has made him a favorite guest on radio programs such as NPR’s “Performance Today,” and on TV shows for PBS, France’s Mezzo and Japan’s NHK. Plano was also named the “Best Ensemble Performer” at the Honens Competition for his performances with cellist Shauna Rolston and soprano Ingrid Attrot and he was the winner of the “Best Recital” and “Best Performance of a Commissioned Work” prizes at the Dublin International Piano Competition.
He has recorded for Decca, Brilliant, Azica, Arktos, Sipario, DaVinci, Concerto, being awarded the maximum 5-star rating by several music magazines. Amadeus, the most widely-read music magazine in Italy, featured twice Roberto’s photograph on the magazine’s cover, with CDs of music by Alexander Scriabin and forgotten Italian composer Andrea Luchesi. In 2013 he performed the world premiere of Luchesi’s two piano concertos with the Busoni Chamber Orchestra in Trieste, Italy, Massimo Belli conducting: the performance included a never-before heard cadenza written for the concerto by Mozart. Mr. Plano’s debut award-winning recording for DECCA Classics was released in 2016, featuring the “Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses” by Liszt, which have not been recorded by Decca since the 60s.
Mr. Plano studied at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, the Ecole “Cortot” in Paris and the Lake Como Academy. During his career he has been awarded several prizes, including the Lumen Claro, previously assigned to influential Italian people like soprano Barbara Frittoli, stylist Ottavio Missoni and economist Mario Monti. In January 2018 he won the American Prize in the solo professional division.
Mr. Plano has been described by The Chronicle in Glens Falls, NY, the “Pavarotti of the Piano” for his lyricism, and also defined by Chicago radio commentator Paul Harvey, Jr. as the heir to Rubinstein and Horowitz. NY Times music critic Anthony Tommasini has written: “This Italian pianist showed artistic maturity beyond his years… there was a wonderful clarity and control of inner voices in his performances…”
Quickly becoming one of the most sought-after teachers in the USA, he is teaching at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, USA from 2018 to 2023. Since September 2023, he has been teaching piano at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, and the Accademia di Musica in Pinerolo.
