He is one of the most outstanding and creative violinists of his generation. ‘This young man is a phenomenon, a true genius. His playing is fascinating, thoughtful down to the last nuance. This interpretation can only be described in superlatives’, writes the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper about the artist. ‘The Times’ writes: ‘He is an exceptional, impeccable talent’, and Lord Yehudi Menuhin called Piotr Pławner a violinist of phenomenal ability and one of the most promising talents of the coming era.

He began learning the violin at the age of six. He made his stage debut at nine. He graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Łódź. After receiving a scholarship from the Henryk Szeryng Foundation in Monte-Carlo, he studied in Bern, Switzerland, where in 1995 he was awarded the special ‘Tschumi-Preis’ for the best soloist diploma. The artist has won numerous competitions and auditions in Poland and abroad. Among his most notable achievements are the 10th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poznań (1991), the International Competition in Bayreuth (1991), the International Henryk Szeryng Competition in Monte Carlo (1994), and the 44th ARD International Competition in Munich (1995 – the highest award in the 55-year history of this competition for only the third time).
Piotr Pławner has received scholarships from the National Children’s Fund, the Children’s Art Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Art, and the Henryk Szeryng Foundation in Monaco. He performs extensively in Poland and abroad as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed in numerous European countries, Arab countries, Asia, and the Americas. He has performed with such ensembles as the Bayerischen Rundfunk and Süddeutschen Rundfunk orchestras, the Berner Symhonieorchester, Sinfonia Helvetica, Radio Kamerorkest Hilversum, the Deutschen Kammerorchester, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, and the Netherlands Kammerorchester. He collaborates with some of the most distinguished conductors of our time. He has participated in numerous renowned festivals, such as the Braunschweiger Kammermusikpodium, the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, L’esplanade Saint-Etienne, the Rheingau Festival, the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, the Internationale Festspiele Passau, the Danos Festival, the Grazer Frühling, the Schlosskonzerte Thun, the Musikfestival Braunwald, and the Al Bustan Festival, as well as in many prestigious concerts organized for well-known figures from the world of politics (H. Kohl, R. Süssmuth, R. Dreifuss, F. Cotti, Prince Rainer III of Monaco) and on the occasion of important anniversaries and European events. The artist has performed in such concert halls as Tivoli Hall in Copenhagen, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Herkules Saal in Munich, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Chatelet in Paris, Palau de la Musica Catalona in Barcelona, ​​Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Tonhalle in Zurich, and Victoria Hall in Geneva. Piotr Pławner has a broad repertoire, ranging from the Baroque to works by contemporary composers (including K. Penderecki, W. Lutosławski, E. Knapik, M. Feldman, and S. Gubaidulina). He has also made numerous radio and television recordings in Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and Austria, including for Polish Radio and Television, TV Hilversum, Bavarian Radio and Television, TV Espana, Radio France, SDR, WDR, SWR, DRS, and ORF. In recent years, he has made archival recordings with the Polish Radio Grand Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (violin concertos by H. Wieniawski, K. Szymanowski, M. Karłowicz, S. Prokofiev, and R. Schumann) and with the Süddeutsche Rundfunk, Bayerische Rundfunk, and Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk orchestras. He has also recorded several CDs with works by Polish composers. E. Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet won the ‘Fryderyk 2005’ award. A CD of Karol Szymanowski’s chamber works received a prestigious award and was selected ‘Record of the Year 1998’ by the monthly ‘Studio’. In 2007, he received the prestigious ‘The Strad Selection’ award for best concerto performance, awarded by the monthly ‘The Strad’. In 2009, he received a ‘Fryderyk’ award, this time for a disc of works by Karol Szymanowski and Paweł Kochański, recorded together with Wojciech Świtała.
Piotr Pławner’s playing and talent have been repeatedly recognized by international critics. He is an invited juror in international music competitions. Since 2006, he has been the first violinist of the world-renowned ‘I Salonisti’ quintet.
In 2015, he was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis for his contribution to promoting Polish music abroad. In March 2020, he received a ‘Fryderyk’ award for his latest CD of Emil Młynarski’s violin concertos. The recording was made with the Philharmonic. Artur Rubinstein in Łódź, under the direction of Paweł Przytocki. In 2021, he was awarded the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.
Since the 2020/21 season, he has been collaborating as artistic director with the Silesian Chamber Orchestra in Katowice. In 2022, he was appointed artistic director of the Capella Bydgostiensis chamber orchestra. Piotr Pławner plays the T. Balestrieri violin.