Nina Kotova

Nina Kotova

Cello

Born into a family of musicians and scientists, Russian cellist Nina Kotova has been hailed as "unforgettable", "passionate and inspiring" and as having "powerfully expressive energy with a technique of utter mastery". Nina Kotova represents the third generation of musicians in her family. Her father, Ivan Ivanovich Kotov, (1950-1985) is regarded as a legendary virtuoso double bassist. Ms. Kotova gave her first performance as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of 11 and at 15 won First Prize at the "Concertino Prague" International Competition.

Since her Western début in 1996 at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London, Ms. Kotova has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, the Orchid Hall in Tokyo, and Ravinia's "Rising Stars" series. Ms. Kotova has recently performed as soloist with symphony orchestras across the globe including the Czech philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, the China Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic and Royal Opera House orchestras. Ms. Kotova has toured the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, South America, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, China and Japan, including a solo performance for the Imperial Family of Japan, an appearance on the MTV Music Awards at the MET and a special performance with the singer Sting at the Royal Opera House in London this season.

Ms. Kotova has recently collaborated as a soloist and chamber musician with such artists as Antonio Pappano, Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Hélène Grimaud, Bobby McFerrin, Lang Lang, Nikolaj Znaider, Vladimir Jurowski, Constantine Orbelian, Stephane Deneve, Claus Peter Flor, and Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

Ms. Kotova signed a recording contract with Philips Classics in 1996 and released her debut album in 1999. The CD was an instant success, remaining on the Billboard charts for several weeks. Elle magazine named "Nina Kotova one of the 25 persons to watch in the next century", and she has been the subject of features in Time, Newsweek, Vogue, Reader's Digest, the Wall Street Journal, Classic FM and on television on the "Charlie Rose Show", "Hard Talk" with Tim Sebastian, and "Breakfast with the Arts". Nina Kotova's playing has been featured in the recent Deutsche Grammophon release "Masters of the Bow", which pays homage to the greatest cellists of the last 50 years. Ms. Kotova recently released recording with the Philharmonia of Russia features the recording debut of Ms. Kotova's own Cello Concerto, and also includes works by Bruch and Bloch's "Schelomo".

Ms. Kotova's Cello Concerto was premiered in San Francisco with the Women's Philharmonic with Ms. Kotova as soloist in the 2000 to rave reviews. Octavio Roca of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Kotova in 2000 stands in defiance of last century's modernism and the new simplicity of so much recent music. Her cello concerto is a complex, gripping affair. Kotova is destined for greatness." Nina Kotova's compositions and interviews have been heard on Sky Live TV, BBC Radio, US and other radio and television stations.

Ms. Kotova is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy, and the Festival del Sole in Napa, California which celebrate music, art, and literature with a two week program filled with concerts, exhibitions and spectacular events.

Ms. Kotova's recent and current performances include a 12 city UK tour of the Dvorak Concerto with Tamas Vasary and the Budapest Symphony, solo and concerto performances in Europe and Asia, and performances at the Verbier, Temirkanov, Festival Del Sole and Casals festivals. In the spring of 2007 Ms. Kotova made a return to the Wigmore Hall, London and gave her recital debut at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Ms. Kotova's latest successful recording of the Dvorak Cello Concerto was released by Sony in Spring 2006: The London Times said "her bright tone and charmingly impetuous manner, gives an ardent, sensitively phrased account"

Effective September 2006, Nina Kotova has been appointed to the music faculty at the University of Texas at Austin as a Visiting Artist in cello and composition.

Ms. Kotova plays two instruments, a 1696 Guarneri cello and the 1673 Du Pre Stradivarius.

For more information, please visit www.ninakotova.com.