Owners
Alicja Węgorzewska-Whiskerd
Alicja Węgorzewska, born in Szczecin, is a singer and mezzo-soprano. She is a graduate of the School of Music in Szczecin with a focus on piano, and of the Vocal and Acting Department of the Academy of Music in Warsaw. She debuted on stage in "Pilgrim of Mecca" by Gluck at the Vienna Kammeroper in Austria. She went on to perform at the Neue Oper Wien and the Theater an der Wien, where by invitation of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, she appeared alongside stars such as mezzo Fiorenza Cossotto and Grace Bumbry in a concert celebrating the birth of the six billionth person in the world.
As an award for winning a competition in Rheinsberg (1999), Ms. Węgorzewska performed the lead role in the world premiere of Siegfried Matthus' opera, "Kronprinz Friedrich", directed by Goetz Friedrich, in conjunction with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The premiere was broadcast live on German radio and the performance was met with rave reviews. She then went on tour in Germany, performing in such places as Bayreuth and the German Pavilion at the World Expo 2000 in Hanover. She also participated in many international festivals and opera galas, including the prestigious Festival of Early Music in Innsbruck; Donaufestwochen in Vienna; and the gala occasion of the 750th anniversary of the city of Breda. She has performed with the Modern Ensemble of Frankfurt, singing under the conductor Markus Stenz, as well as in the Staatskapelle Berlin, conducted by Rolf Reuter. She has worked with theaters in Vienna, Berlin, Bayreuth, and Monte Carlo and has performed in such prestigious venues as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and The Berlin Konzerthaus. Also of note was her participation in a concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of Katia Ricciarelli's work at the famous La Fenice in Venice (2010).
She very quickly gained recognition in Poland. She has performed at the Grand Theatre in Lódz as the title role in "Carmen" by Bizet and with this production, she toured the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the famous Lucent Dance Theater. In the Kraków Opera she sang the role of Lucretia in Benjamin Britten's "Rape of Lucretia", and performed in two pther productions as well - in "Orpheus and Euridice" by Gluck (as Orpheus) and the "Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky (as the Countess). She has also performed on the stage of the National Philharmonic in the "Lutoslawski Award" Final Gala Concert, singing award-winning songs in the world premiere of the competition. In the National Opera at the Teatr Wielki, she performed the title role in Tchaikovsky's opera, "The Queen of Spades", directed by Mariusz Trelinski under Kazimierz Kord. In the same theater in 2007, she starred as the voice of the Mother in "Tales of Hoffmann" by Offenbach (directed by Tadeusz Kozlowski) and as Dorothy in Kurpiński's "Cracovians and Highlanders", conducted by Łukasz Borowicz. She also sang as Siebel in Gounod's opera "Faust", directed by Robert Wilson and conducted by Gabriel Chmura. At the "Opera in the Castle" in Szczecin, she performed the part of Santuzzy in "Cavalleria Rusticana" by Mascagni, as well as in "Carmen" by Bizet. On the stage of the Baltic Opera, she sang the roles of Octavian in "Rosenkavalier" by Strauss, Olga in "Eugene Onegin" by Tchaikovsky (musical direction by Jose Maria Florencio, staging by Mark Weiss) and once again in the opera "Lucrezia" by Britten (Performance of the Year 2008). Wieslaw Ochman invited her to take part in his staging of Carmen at the Silesian Opera in Bytom. This part, which has become the calling card of Ms. Węgorzewska, was also sung by her at the Teatr Wielki National Opera (2010). She was a guest of the Hoffman Festival in Poznan and at the Opera Festival in Bydgoszcz. In 2008, she gave a series of acclaimed recitals in Kuwait and Bahrain as well as concerts in Düsseldorf (Verdi Requiem), among others. In 2009, she took part in the production of "Das Rheingold" by Wagner, conducted by John Latham Koenig on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Forest Opera, as well as the reactivation of the Wagner Festival. In the same year, she starred in the title role in "Carmen" in the final gala of the Maria Biesu International Opera Festival in Kishinev.
A critically important year in her career was 2010: the year of Chopin. She recorded all of Chopin's music for the Hungarotonu Classic and Fuzeau Classique with outstanding Hungarian virtuoso Alex Szilasi. She opened the year at the Budapest Concert Gala Celebration of Chopin in Hungary, and concluded the year with concerts in New York (at the United Nations and the Yamaha Hall), Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
She often participates in special events, such as in the TVP2 - Totus Gala Awards 2010 television concert, hosted by J. E. Kardynał Kazimierz Nycz.
She has won awards for her work on the Polish stage in "Prometheus" (2007). She also contributed to the soundtrack for the movie "The Witcher", for which she received the "Golden Disc".
She also promotes the art of opera and theater outside the concert hall. She often performs in other media. She appeared as a guest on many television programs like "The Singing Pianos", "Name That Tune", "I love you, Poland", "She and He", and she has also twice performed operatic duets on "As They Sing". She has also participated in Polsat's New Year's live show in Krakow Old Town Square and Constitution Square in Warsaw three times. In 2009 she starred in the television series "House in the Backwaters" as an opera singer, Joan. She gained huge popularity as a charismatic and competent judge on the reality singing program, "Battle of the Voices".
She also writes columns for the opera, and has founded and leads the "StartSmart" Foundation, which deals with the conscientious and larger education of children, as well as developing their linguistic and artistic potentials. To this end, she is the owner of the "Kids Academy of Languages and Arts (KOALA) Nursery and Kindergarten.
Her performance in "Diva for Rent", directed by Jerzy Snakowski, is her first exploration in dramatic theater.
Peter Whiskerd-Węgorzewski
Peter Whiskerd-Węgorzewski is the President of Villa Arte Sp.k. (the company which supports the Foundation Alicja Wegorzewska "StartSmart" and the preschool activities) and is a high level financial specialist with extensive experience in senior management.
Currently he is Regional Finance Director for Prologis, a leading global provider of distribution facilities. Peter is responsible for the overall financial management of ProLogis' business in Central & Eastern Europe, overseeing finance teams located in each of the region's major markets.
Peter has 20 years of executive experience in blue-chip companies. He has played a major role in restructuring, turnaround and IPOs for a number of businesses. His previous experience encompasses the media, publishing, retail and FMCG industries where he has held various executive-level positions including chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He has worked extensively in a number of countries including the UK, Austria, Italy and others across Central Europe. He has lived in Poland since 1996. He speaks English, Polish, German and Italian fluently.
Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (F.C.M.A.) and has a degree in German Studies from the University of Warwick.
