Rolf Plagge Germany / Austria Born 1959 in the provincial town of Westerstede, Northwest Germany, German pianist Rolf Plagge received his first piano lessons at home. By 1969 he was studying at the Bremen Conservatory with Professor Peter-Jürgen Hofer. When Professor Hofer moved to the Musikhochschule Hamburg in 1975, Rolf followed him immediately, knowing that he wouldn’t find any other comparable and excellent pedagogue at that time. During this important period of nine years in the class of Professor Hofer, Rolf won the first prize of Hamburg’s Steinway Competition five times consecutively from 1973 to 1977, as well as several prizes at the Germany national music competition Jugend musiziert.