Italian pianist Paola Del Negro Plano made her debut at the Teatro Juvarra in Turin at the age of nine taking part in the performance of the complete Piano Sonatas by Beethoven, a few months after she joined the pianistic school of Maria Golia, with whom she has studied for more than a decade. A graduate of the Conservatory "N. Rota" (Italy), she participated in several masterclasses organized in collaboration with the Ecole Normale de Musique "A. Cortot" in Paris, studying with Nelson Delle Vigne-Fabbri, Boaz Sharon, Einar Steen Nokleberg and Ian Hobson. She received First Prize in over twenty national and international piano competitions, such as the Mozart Prize of Paularo (UD), the Prize ACADA -
ENDAS of Genoa, the Prize "City of Alassio", the National Competition "City of Albenga ", the Dasinamov Competition in Lurisia (CN), the European Music Competition in Moncalieri, the
International Competition "City of Casarza Ligure ", the National Competition" City of Villar Perosa ", the International Competition" Teleribalta " in Borgosesia, the International Competition
"Camillo Togni" Gussago (BS), the International Piano Competition "Gran Paradiso" Locana (TO), the National Music Competition "Euterpe" in Corato (BA)…
She has recorded music by M. Ravel in the CD "Musical Encounters at the Castle", recorded and produced by Faber Teater at the Castle of San Sebastian (TO), in collaboration with the Province of
Turin and the Piedmont Region. Very active in the chamber music field, she has collaborated with clarinetists Paolo Montagna and Emanuele Morazzoni, pianist Alberto Miodini, and she was
invited to participate, together with Roberto Plano, in a series of 4 hands concerts for HaapagLloyd as part of an Asia tour. Since 2011 she is Vice President of the Musical Association
"Alfred Cortot", founded with the aim of spreading the classical music in all its aspects, with special reference to the education of young people, and she has been the Director of the Accademia
Musicale Varesina, the concert series "The Schubertiades of the Lake" and "Note di Lago" and the Caraglio International Piano Competition for about ten years, until she moved to the United States
in 2016.
Her students are regularly awarded top prizes (more than 200 prizes) in National and International Music Competitions in Europe and USA. In recent years she also worked as author of music
projects for the magazine Scuola Italiana Moderna, the oldest Italian magazine dedicated to the primary school. In 2012 and 2013 she toured with the show for children "Chou-Chou", written by
herself as a tribute to the composer Claude Debussy and the fantastic world of children.
She performed in Belgium (Chateau de Cheneau), in France (Salle Cortot, Auditorium Paul Langevin), in Italy - “Musica in Castello” Festival (PC), Salone Estense, Villa Pirelli, Villa Motta (VA),
Turin Conservatory, S. Sebastiano da Po Castle (TO), Fazioli Showroom, Teatro delle Erbe (MI), Caraglio Teatro Civico, Filatoio Rosso (CN), Teatro Del Popolo (VA), Casa della Musica (PR), Alseno
Castle (PC), Palazzo Bondoni Pastorio (MN)… - and she had her debut in the United States and Canada.
Recently she performed in Washington for Senator Thad Cochran in a private event, in Chautauqua (NY), in Madison (WI) for the “Salon Piano Series”, in Savannah (GA), in Ottawa (CANADA) for MitBravour Concerts Series, with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in Austin (MN) and in Istanbul (TURKEY) for the "Ceren Necipoglu Istanbul International Festival".
Paola has also worked as artistic director and music critic for several recording companies, including Decca (Liszt, “Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses”, Decca Classics 481-2479 – Artistic Director), Amadeus (Cécile Chaminade piano music – Artistic Director), Brilliant (Smetana, Brilliant Classics 94788 – liner notes author) and Movimento Classical (Chaminade piano music MVC 001/45 – Artistic Director and liner notes author). A double CD featuring the complete piano 4 hands music by Robert Schumann (recorded with pianist Roberto Plano for Brilliant Classics label) has been released worldwide in October 2019.
Upcoming events include the recording of E. Grieg, the complete music for piano 4 hands, for Brilliant Classics label and the recording of music for piano solo by Fanny Mendelssohn for Movimento Classical label. Paola will be part of the jury at the 2021 International Keyboard Odyssiad&Festival (Colorado State University, Fort Collins) and part of the 2021 Festival Florio in Favignana (Italy).
Currently Paola is Adjunct Lecturer in Piano at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Artistic Director of the Schubertiades of the Lake series and Founder and Director of PDN Piano Studio. She lives in Bloomington, IN, with her husband, pianist Roberto Plano, and their three daughters Elisa, Anna and Sofia.