Born in Varese in 1978, Roberto Plano came to the attention of the music world when he won the prestigious Cleveland International Piano Competition. This, along with other prizes awarded to him at the Honens International Piano Competition and the 12th Van Cliburn International Competition provided the launching point for many tours throughout North America, and he has performed in more than twenty US states and for many of the most important radio stations in the USA, Canada and Italy.
The New York Times wrote: "This Italian pianist showed artistic ability beyond his years… a wonderful clarity and control of inner voices in his performances … Plano demonstrated competition-honed virtuosity as well as musical depth…"
In addition to the recognition he earned in the Cleveland, Van Cliburn and Honens competitions, he also won prizes at the Josè Iturbi Competition in Valencia, at the Sendai International Music Competition, at the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, at the Geza Anda in Zurich.
He has performed in some of the most important concert halls in Europe and beyond (Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, Teatro Manzoni in Bologna, Parco della Musica in Roma, Teatro Politeama in Palermo, Teatro Bibiena in Mantua, Wigmore Hall and St. John's Smith Square in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, Gasteig and Herculessaal in Munich, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Lincoln Center-Alice Tully Hall and Steinway Hall in New York). He has appeared as soloist with prestigious orchestras in Italy and abroad and performed under many renown directors including, Sir Marriner, J. Conlon, P. Zuckerman, A. Raisilianen, J. Ling, G. Gelmetti, G. Markson, A. Fiedler, K. Stratton, D. Renzetti, E. G. Assensio, T. Umeda, G. Sheldon, G. M. Bisanti, R. Rizzi Brignoli, S. M. Lucarelli, O. Balan. Very active in chamber music as well, he has worked with numerous string quartets: the Takacs, the Fine Arts, the Quartetto di San Pietroburgo, the Jupiter String Quartet, the ENSO String Quartet, the Quartetto Vogler and the Prime Parti of the Teatro alla Scala. He has also played with the trumpeter G. Cassone, the cellist
E. Bronzi, the violinists N. Armstrong and A. Ganz and the jazz pianist P. Paliaga, among others.
His recordings have been released under the Azica, Arktos, Concerto, Sipario Dischi and Tau Record labels, and in the collection "Musica in Bocconi".
He is one of the protagonists in Encore, a documentary broadcast throughout North America, Europe and North Africa. Moreover, he was chosen to make the DVD "A Masterclass with Damase", and P. Entremont asked him to appear in a television program on the music of Mozart transmitted in Japan by the NHK.
In 2011 founded the Music Association "Alfred Cortot" and the Accademia Musicale Varesina.
His recital in St. Paul (USA) for the Chopin Society, reviewed by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, was identified by the critic R. Hubbard as one of the ten best events in 2009. The Chronicle called him "Pavarotti of the piano" for his lyricism and P. Harvey, radio commentator in Chicago, identified him as the heir to Rubinstein and Horowitz.
