Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev (born 14 April 1957) in Archangel, Russia is a pianist, conductor, and composer. With both parents musicians, he has exhibited great talent since childhood. He entered the Central School of Music at the age of 13 and, in 1974, entered the Moscow Conservatory, under the instruction of the famous pianists and teachers Jacob Flier and Lev Vlasenko. He won the Gold Medal of the VI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978, which earned him international recognition and drew great attention worldwide. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory and transcribed and performed transcriptions of Tchaikovsky’s symphony and ballet music.

In 1990, he founded the Russian National Orchestra, the first non-government-supported orchestra in Russia, and was its first principal conductor. He stepped down from that post in the late 1990s', but he is now the orchestra's artistic director.

Pletnev is currently an exclusive contract pianist for Deutsche Grammophon.