Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev (Михаил Васильевич Плетнев) (born 14 April, 1957) is a pianist, conductor, and composer. With both parents musicians, he has exhibited great talent since childhood. He entered the renowned Moscow Conservatory to study piano at the age of thirteen, under the instruction of the famous pianists and teachers Jacob Flier and Lev Vlasenko. He won the Gold Medal of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978, which earned him international recognition and drew great attention worldwide. In 1990, he founded the Russian National Orchestra, the first non-government-supported orchestra in Russia. He is now the Artistic Director of the Russian National Orchestra. He is currently an exclusive contract pianist for Deutsche Grammophon.