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W Preserve

The W Preserve, set in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains in south central Montana, provides a common meeting ground for artists, musicians and thinkers to incubate ideas, collaborate, develop their work and perform in a natural setting of spiritual beauty. Founded by philanthropist and impresario, Barrett Wissman and cellist and composer, Nina Kotova, the W Preserve is the next stage in the evolution of music, art and lifestyle festivals that Nina and Barrett have co-founded and cultivated since 2003. With a passion for Montana, the two have created a sanctuary inspired by the mountains, nature and big sky. Starting in the summer of 2018, W Preserve will welcome artists and the public as well to participate in discussions, interactive performances, exhibitions and master classes during the months of July and August.

Founders The Russian-American cellist Nina Kotova, has been praised by Gramophone as a “strong and individual artist” and by the Los Angeles Times as “a talent to reckon with- poised, committed, graceful and spirited.”

Ms. Kotova has been internationally recognized as one of the outstanding instrumentalists of her generation. She has performed as a soloist with symphony orchestras across the globe and has repeatedly toured the UK, Europe, Asia and the US.

Nina Kotova began cello studies at six and studied at the Moscow Conservatory and graduated from the Musikhochschule in Cologne. She gave her first performance as a soloist with orchestra at age 11 in Soviet Union.

Ms. Kotova has performed on Red Square in Moscow, for the Imperial family of Japan and at Buckingham Palace. She has appeared in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, at Town Hall and Carnegie Hall in NewYork, Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Centre in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Berlin Philharmonic to name a few.

According to Newsweek magazine, “she‘s a fantastically gifted cellist.. and has a powerful stage presence.” Time magazine states: “She is a musician of high seriousness and real talent”. Ms. Kotova has also been the subject of numerous features in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and the Wall Street Journal, The SundayTelegraph Magazine, Hello magazine and has appeared on television on A&E’s “Breakfast with the Arts”, “Hard Talk” and the “Charlie Rose Show”. Ms. Kotova has appeared on the covers of Classic FM, Gramophone China, Il Venerdi Italia and Reader’s Digest. Ms. Kotova has collaborated with pianists Jose Feghali, Helene Grimaud, Lang Lang and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Ms. Kotova has performed with conductors including Stephane Deneve, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vladimir Jurowski, Claus Peter Flor, Alain Lombard, Nicola Luisotti, Sir Antonio Pappano, Libor Pesek, Hans Vonk and Jaap Van Zweden.

Ms. Kotova co-founded the Festival Del Sole/Festival Napa Valley in Napa Valley and Cortona, Italy. She calls the Festivals “a mecca and meeting place for artists and admirers of the arts alike”. She has also taught at the University of Texas at Austin as an Artist in Residence.

Nina Kotova’s recordings include her chart-topping debut album for Philips Classics, the Bloch “Shelomo” with the Philharmonia of Russia conducted by Constantine Orbelian along with her own Cello Concerto for Delos, the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton for Sony Classics, the Deutsche Grammophon compilation “Masters of the Bow”, which pays homage to the greatest cellists of the last 50 years, and the complete Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello for Warner Classics. Most recently, Ms. Kotova released the Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev Cello Sonatas with pianist Fabio Bidini on Warner Classics label and Tchaikovsky album with Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra on Delos.

A versatile collaborator, Ms. Kotova has performed the Vivaldi double concerto with Bobby McFerrin, appeared on the MTV Music Awards at the MET with Trent Reznor, appeared in Matthew Barney’s Cremaster, and performed with Sting and Trudy Styler in the production “Twin Spirits”. Nina has toured with John Malkovich and collaborated with Jeremy Irons in “Chopin: Seduction, Smoke and Music”.

As a composer Nina Kotova premiered her Cello Concerto in San Francisco in 2000. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that “like Wolfgang Rihm in 1974, so Kotova in 2000 stands in defiance of both the emotional austerity of last century’s modernism and the new simplicity of so much recent music.” Ms. Kotova toured her Cello Concerto “The Tuscan” for cello and chamber orchestra with Dmitry Sitkovetsky conducting across the US featuring its NY premiere at Carnegie Hall.

Barrett Wissman is the Chairman of IMG Artists, the global leader in the performing arts talent management, touring, event management and consulting business. He purchased a majority stake in the Company from IMG, who continues to be a minority stakeholder in the Company. At the helm of IMG Artists, the Company has expanded its presence across the Americas, Europe and Asia. IMG Artists represents over 500 artists, arts organizations and companies in addition to founding and operating festivals and working with non-profit arts organizations around the globe.

Mr. Wissman founded and is currently a principal and partner in technology, manufacturing and investment companies as well as on the boards of several for-profit and non-profit enterprises. He has continued to be actively involved in music, having served on the boards of several arts institutions and created several charitable organizations. One of these is the Cremona Society, a unique international organization that collects and lends rare instruments to deserving soloists and students in need of financial aid to be able to pursue their dreams in the arts. Mr Wissman is also the Chairman of the Del Sole Foundation for the Arts and Humanities which supports performing arts organizations, talent and events around the globe. Barrett Wissman’s commitment to music began at an early age with serious piano study. He made several debuts as a concert pianist with prominent orchestras from the age of 11 and won several national and international competitions thereafter. He graduated cum laude from Yale University in economics and political science and went on to receive graduate degrees in music from Southern Methodist University and the Accademia Chigiana in Italy.

Mr. Wissman founded the Festival del Sole in Cortona, Italy, Festival Napa Valley as well as the Singapore Sun Festival in Singapore, The Palm Springs Life Festival in the Coachella Valley and the Placido Domingo Festival in Seville Spain, which have all celebrated the performing, visual and culinary arts as well as theatre, dance and wellness. As part of his work in the arts, Barrett Wissman has collaborated with such great artists and luminaries as Robert Redford, Jeremy Irons, Placido Domingo, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Sting, Renee Fleming, John Malkovich, Robert De Niro and many others as a producer and collaborator.

Mr. Wissman has been given the honor of being a Honorary Citizen of Italy or “Cittadino Onorario” by the city of Cortona and has received an award from the Italian American Association as one of the most influential Americans in business in Italy for his accomplishments there by the Mayor of Florence and later the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi. Mr. Wissman has most recently founded a leading digital media and entertainment company advising talent, brands, companies and non-profit organizations on their digital strategies. He is also investing alongside talent in founding, advising and operating social media-driven businesses.

Most recently, Mr. Wissman co-founded the W Preserve in Montana with Nina Kotova to create a haven for performers, visual artists, writers and thinkers alike. Against the spectacular backdrop of the Beartooth mountains and millions of acres of national forest in south central Montana, W Preserve is a retreat where artists can meet, collaborate, exchange ideas and perform in the midst of untouched natural beauty.