Key Pianists Concert Series opens its 11th season with a solo recital performed by the award-winning pianist Roberto Plano on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at at 7:30 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall . We recently spoke to the pianist about his upcoming program, his remarkable career, and more.
You won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 2001. How did that change the trajectory of your career? What have you been up to since?
Cleveland surely changed the course of my life; everything truly began there. Winning the competition gave me the extraordinary opportunity to receive international recognition through one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world. More importantly, it opened the doors to the United States and allowed me to begin performing throughout the country. It was undoubtedly one of the most significant milestones of my artistic journey. Years later, after my European experiences, it also contributed to my opportunity to teach at two of America’s most prestigious institutions: Boston University and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Tell us about Mompou’s Impresiones Intimas. What made you decide to include it on the program?
Mompou’s Impresiones íntimas is, in my opinion, a forgotten masterpiece. It reveals an extraordinary artistic maturity, made even more remarkable by the fact that Mompou wrote it when he was only twenty years old. It is a work where timeless melodies coexist with profound moments of silence, creating a space in which the performer can completely surrender to the search for the most personal, intimate, and profound sound possible. I believe this is a work that deserves to be heard much more often, and I am truly delighted to have the opportunity to perform it at Carnegie Hall.
How does your work as a teacher/pedagogue influence the way you approach your own playing, and vice versa?
I have never truly felt a separation between being a concert pianist and being a teacher. To me, the musician represents a single identity: an artist who brings music to life on stage while also sharing knowledge and guiding younger generations in the discovery of the hidden secrets of classical music and in the search for a deeper connection with audiences. I began giving masterclasses immediately after winning the Cleveland Competition, when I was only twenty-three years old. More than two decades later, I feel that I have much more to share, enriched by decades of artistic experience. After many years in the United States, I am now very happy to teach at the University School of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, where I continue to combine performance, research, and education.