Sebastian Plano

Sebastian Plano crafts deeply felt compositions that blend acoustic instruments with electronic elements in distinctive ways. His recordings typically combine piano, cello, and percussion with digital processing and textures, producing the effect of an entire ensemble at work. Recognition has come his way for his contributions to the soundtrack of the 2017 video game Everything, which he created alongside another composer, and for his 2019 album Verve, which earned a Grammy nomination. Following a joint project with Maarten Vos, he delivered his fourth solo album, Save Me Not, during 2021.

Born in Rosario, Argentina, during 1985 to parents who performed with the local symphony orchestra, Plano grew up surrounded by classical traditions and tango. He took up the cello at age seven and began composing by twelve, later securing full scholarships to the United World College of the Adriatic, the Boston Conservatory, and the San Francisco Conservatory. Electronic music also captured his attention early on, particularly through the work of Vangelis, prompting him to explore music software during his free hours. One of his initial efforts, a four-movement orchestral composition, received its premiere at Rosario's Opera House in 2008. While residing in San Francisco, he independently issued his debut album, Arrhythmical Part of Hearts, in 2011, playing wherever possible—in parks, on the metro, inside art galleries, and at private gatherings—to build an audience that eventually drew the attention of Denovali Records.

Nils Frahm mastered Plano’s second album, Impetus, and suggested the label, which brought out both that record and a reissue of Arrhythmical Part of Hearts in 2013. By then Plano had already completed a third full-length and an EP recorded with cellist Jeffrey Ziegler, yet a theft from his car resulted in the loss of his computer and two hard drives containing the finished material, which was never retrieved. After moving to Berlin, he attempted to reconstruct the missing pieces but ultimately chose to abandon them and focus on fresh work. Together with Ben Lukas Boysen he scored the ambitious video game Everything, released to widespread praise in 2017; Erased Tapes put out the soundtrack, whose complete digital edition spans more than three hours.

In 2018 Plano took part in Keynvor, a project that captured sounds of the Atlantic Ocean to highlight the issue of sewage pollution, leading to the Mercury KX release of the EP Preservation that same year. The label followed with his album Verve in 2019, which received a nomination for Best New Age Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The next year brought &, a collaborative album he had recorded with fellow cellist Maarten Vos back in 2016. Plano’s subsequent solo effort, Save Me Not, arrived in 2021.