Roberto Plano
“This Italian pianist showed artistic maturity beyond his years… there was a wonderful clarity and control of inner voices in his performances…” – New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini
Italian native ROBERTO PLANO performs regularly throughout the world, notably at Lincoln Center, Sala Verdi, Salle Cortot, Wigmore Hall and the Herkulessaal, in Festivals such as Gilmore, Ravinia, Portland, Chopin, and as a soloist under the direction of renowned conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner and James Conlon. An avid chamber musician, Plano has played with the Takacs, Cremona, Jupiter, St. Petersburg, Fine Arts, Muir String Quartets, among others. First-prize Winner at the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, prizewinner at the Honens, Dublin, Sendai, Geza Anda and Valencia, finalist at Busoni and Van Cliburn and winner of 15 International Competitions in Italy, Plano’s engaging personality has made him a favorite guest on such radio programs as NPR’s “Performance Today,” and on TV shows for PBS, France’s Mezzo and Japan’s NHK. He has recorded for Decca, Brilliant, Azica, Arktos, Sipario, DaVinci, and Concerto, being awarded five stars by several music magazines. He recently won the American Prize in the solo professional division. In Italy, he has appeared on the cover of the most important music magazine, Amadeus, and has been awarded several prizes, including the Lumen Claro, previously assigned to such noteworthy people as soprano Barbara Frittoli, stylist Ottavio Missoni, and economist Mario Monti. Recent performances include soloist appearances with Kremerata Baltica and the Royal Camerata; solo recitals in Russia, including two concerts at the Kremlin State Palace in Moscow; and a 10-concert chamber music tour in China with The Juilliard School’s faculty Laurie Smukler and Darrett Adkins. Plano studied at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, the Lake Como Academy and Ecole “Cortot” in Paris, where he earned the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste, obtaining first prize with unanimous decision and congratulations of the Jury. Previously on the faculty at Boston University and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he currently serves at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (RNCM) and at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana (CSI) in Lugano, Switzerland.