Russian pianist, conductor and composer, born 14 April 1957 in Arkhangelsk, Soviet Union. After winning first prize and gold medal on the VI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1978, he started touring extensively around the world. Pletnev debuted as a conductor in 1980. He found the Russian National Orchestra (RNO) in 1990, the first non-government-supported orchestra in Russia since 1917, and became its first principal conductor. He lives in Switzerland since 1996, and more recently in Thailand.

His name can be transliterated variously as Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev in English and Michail Wassiljewitsch Pletnjow in German.