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 many 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" in Gussago (BS), the International Piano Competition "Gran Paradiso" in Locana (TO), the National Music Competition "Euterpe" in Corato (BA) etc.
In 2001 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, and with pianist Alberto Miodini. In 2006 she was invited in duo with Roberto Plano to participate 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", the "Note di Lago" Festival 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 250 prizes) in National and International Music Competitions (some of the most recent prizes include the Albenga International Piano Competition - Italy, the Riga International Competition for Young Pianists - Latvia, the American Protegé International Piano Competition - USA, the Fujairah International Piano Competition - United Arab Emirates, the César Franck International Piano Competition - Belgium, the Elite International Piano Competition - USA, the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition - Indiana, USA, ISSMA Competition - Indiana, 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 in Italy 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). In 2019 she performed in Istanbul (TURKEY) for the "Ceren Necipoglu Istanbul International Festival" (she also was a member of the jury at the 1st Ceren Necipoglu International Music Competition).
Paola has 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 and liner notes author), Brilliant (Smetana, Brilliant Classics 94788 – liner notes author) and Movimento Classical (Skrjabin Vers la Flamme MVC001/83 – liner notes author).
Her first novel “L’Opera 108”, inspired by Brahms Violin Sonata Op. 108, has been released in June 2021 by Zecchini Editore, the most important Italian publisher for classical music; in November 2022 her new novel "Il cortile della felicità" has been released by NEM publisher.
After the recent recording together with Roberto Plano of a double CD featuring the complete piano 4 hands music by Robert Schumann (Brilliant Classics label), which earned 5 stars out of 5 in several prestigious music magazines, the same label is going to release another CD featuring the piano 4 hands music by E. Grieg. In the summer Paola will also join the International Keyboard Odyssiad&Festival (Colorado State University, Fort Collins) as part of the jury. 
Adjunct Lecturer in Piano at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 2018 to 2021, and part of the Piano Faculty at the Music Conservatory in Westchester NY in 2011-22, Paola is now a Piano Faculty member at the Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, MA.
She lives in Boston, MA, with her husband, pianist Roberto Plano, and their three daughters Elisa, Anna and Sofia.