{{Short description|Argentine cellist, composer and producer}}
{{Infobox musical artist | name = Sebastian Plano | image = Sebastian-plano.jpg | birth_name = Sebastian Plano | website = {{url|sebastianplano.com}} | label = {{hlist|Mercury KX|Erased Tapes|Denovali}} | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1985}} | birth_place = Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | genre = {{hlist|Contemporary classical<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/3494524|title=Sebastian Plano|website=Discogs}}</ref>|modern classical<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://headphonecommute.com/2019/05/20/sebastian-plano-verve-mercury-kx/|title=Sebastian Plano – Verve (Mercury KX)|date=20 May 2019|website=Headphone Commute|language=en-GB|access-date=24 December 2019}}</ref>}} | instrument = {{hlist|Cello|Piano|Bandoneon|Percussion}} | associated_acts = Ben Lukas Boysen }}
'''Sebastian Plano''' (born 1985) is an Argentinian cellist, composer and producer based in Berlin, Germany. His 2019 album ''Verve'' was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. He has composed the soundtrack for the video game ''Everything'' alongside Ben Lukas Boysen.
== Early life and career == Sebastian Plano was born into a musical family in Rosario, Argentina. With both his parents in the city's symphonic orchestra, he was influenced early on by classical music and also by tango through his grandfather, a locally renowned bandoneon player. Plano began playing the cello at age seven, and writing music when he was 12. Soon after his early composition - a four-movement orchestral piece - premiered at Rosario's Opera House in 2008, interest in his work started to show.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sebastian-plano-mn0002745157/biography|title=Sebastian Plano {{!}} Biography & History|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref>
At the age of 17, he was among the 4 young musicians to be selected worldwide for a full scholarship at the United World College of the Adriatic, allowing him to study with the acclaimed Trio di Trieste and Cellist Enrico Bronzi. He continued his education in the United States, after having been awarded consecutively full scholarships at the Boston Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory. Alongside his classical upbringing, Plano's enthusiasm and exploration around electronic music - often naming Vangelis as a formative early influence - developed into a hobby.<ref name=":1" />
Sebastian Plano started his career as a solo record producer in 2011 with the self-release of his debut album ''Arrhythmical Part of Hearts''.<ref name="auto" /> As a medium to promote his music, Plano started busking in the San Francisco subway, selling his new record to the public.<ref name=":1" /> His second record ''Impetus'', mastered by Nils Frahm in 2012, was released a year later on Denovali Records along with the re-release of ''Arrhythmical Part of Hearts''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="auto" />
On April 19 of 2013, Plano just finished recording both his third full-length album ''Verve'' and an EP with former Kronos Quartet cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, when a thief broke into Plano's car and stole his computer and two hard drives containing the completed recordings. Despite Plano's endeavours, his work was never recovered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sebastianplano.com/verve/|title=Verve|date=2019-02-19|website=Sebastian Plano|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref> In August of the same year he relocated to Berlin, where he began reconstructing the lost pieces leading to the release of his EP ''Novel'' in 2017<ref name="auto" /> and later, ''Verve''.<ref name=":1" />
In 2017 he co-wrote with Ben Lukas Boysen the soundtrack for the game ''Everything'' by David OReilly.<ref name="auto" /> The soundtrack, released on Erased Tapes Records,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.erasedtapes.com/release/eratp099-ben-lukas-boysen-sebastian-plano-everything|title=Everything by Ben Lukas Boysen & Sebastian Plano - Releases|website=Erased Tapes|language=en|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref> was long-listed for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making it the first video game trailer to qualify for the Oscars.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.mcvuk.com/indie-game-everything-qualifies-for-oscar-longlist/|title=Indie game Everything qualifies for Oscar longlist|date=2017-06-08|magazine=MCV/DEVELOP|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref> That same year, Plano signed to Universal Music's Mercury KX label.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurykx.com/artists/sebastian-plano/|title=SEBASTIAN PLANO|website=MERCURY KX|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref>
In 2018, Plano participated in the [https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/cornish-sea-music-cornwall-ocean-plastic-pollution-surfers-against-sewage-a8309976.html Keynvor Project] against sewage pollution, for which he wrote a three-track EP incorporating sounds from the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sas.org.uk/news/atlantic-ocean-makes-waves-music-industry/|title=The Atlantic Ocean makes waves in the music industry • Surfers Against Sewage|date=2018-04-18|website=Surfers Against Sewage|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref> The EP, titled ''Preservation'', was released by Mercury KX,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurykx.com/preservation/|title=Preservation|date=2018-04-18|website=MERCURY KX|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref> shortly before the release of ''Verve'' in 2019<ref name="auto" /> which received a nomination for Best New Age Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.<ref name=":2" />
== Discography == === Studio albums === * ''Arrhythmical Part of Hearts'' (2013)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sebastian-plano/438715830|title=Sebastian Plano on Apple Music|website=Apple Music}}</ref> * ''Impetus'' (2013)<ref name=":0" /> * ''Verve'' (2019)<ref name=":0" /> * ''Save Me Not'' (2021)<ref name=":0" />
=== Singles and EPs === * ''Novel'' (2017)<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sebastianplano.com/works/|title=Works|website=Sebastianplano.com|accessdate=4 February 2020}}</ref> * ''Preservation'' (with KEYNVOR; 2018)<ref name="auto"/> * ''Verve Epilogue'' (2019) <ref name="auto"/> * ''Fortanach'' (2022)
=== Collaborations === * ''Everything'' (with Ben Lukas Boysen; 2017)<ref name=":0" /> * ''&'' (with Maarten Vos; 2020)
=== Soundtracks === * ''In too deep'' (Chris Overton; 2023) <ref>www.imdb.com/title/tt13853916</ref> * ''High Tide'' (Marco Calvani; 2024)
== Awards and nominations == {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" !Year !Organization !Award !Work !Result !{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |- |2019 |Grammy Awards |Best New Age Album |''Verve'' |{{Nominated}} |<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-awards-nominations-complete-winners-list|title=2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List|date=20 November 2019|website=Grammy Awards|language=en|access-date=24 December 2019}}</ref> |}
== References == {{reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plano, Sebastian}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Rosario, Santa Fe Category:Mercury KX artists Category:21st-century Argentine classical composers Category:Ambient musicians Category:New-age musicians Category:New-age pianists Category:Argentine multi-instrumentalists Category:Argentine cellists Category:People educated at a United World College Category:21st-century cellists