Marta Gardolińska is rapidly developing into one of the most exciting young conductors. Recently appointed Music Director of Opéra national de Lorraine from the 21-22 season, she came to international attention as Young Conductor in Association at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra during the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons. During that time, she built a strong rapport and trust with the musicians which led her to conduct two phenomenally successful subscription weeks and several regional tours and educational projects. The 19/20 season also saw Marta make her very successful North American debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a Dudamel Fellow, where she was invited to be second conductor to Gustavo Dudamel for their performances and Grammy awarded Deutsche Grammophon recording of Ives Symphony No. 4.
This 21-22 season sees Marta make further important debuts, including with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse and l’Opéra National de Bordeaux, plus a number of UK debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She will also return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for her debut at the Hollywood Bowl with international pianist, Hélène Grimaud, and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.
Last season Marta made successful debuts with Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national de Lorraine and Orchestre Chambre de Paris at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She also returned to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for subscription concerts.
Marta has been establishing a reputation of a gifted opera conductor, beginning with a triumphant debut in a new production of Zemlinsky’s Der Traumgörge in Nancy in October 2020, and following with a critically acclaimed rendition of Bizet’s Carmen with the Opera national du Rhin in Strasbourg, in December 2021. From very early in her career she has been exploring her interest in rediscovering forgotten operatic masterpieces of Polish composers such as Legenda Bałtyku [Baltic Legend] by Felix Nowowiejski and Manru by Ignacy Jan Paderewski while acting as assistant conductor to maestro Tadeusz Kozłowski. Between 2013-2015 she served as the second conductor with the company Johann–Strauss–Operette Wien, learning the purest style of the Viennese musical tradition.
Inspired by the experience of singing in her school choir and fascinated by the colors of symphonic music, it led her to study conducting at the Frederic Chopin Music University of Warsaw, the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and in many masterclasses and workshops with artists such as Bernard Haitink, Peter Eötvös, Simone Young, György Kurtág and Marin Alsop.
In 2015, she was named Conductor in Residence of the Akademischer Orchesterverein Wien and during the 17/18 season she held the position of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of TU-Orchester Wien.
Among her many accolades she has received an Honourable Mention and the Special Orchestra Prize of the Witold Lutosławski Conducting Competition in Białystok, Poland (2016), the 3rd Prize and the Special Orchestra Prize from the Felix Mendelssohn International Conducting Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece (2016) and she has been one of eight semi-finalists in the 1st International Hong Kong Conducting Competition in 2018. In 2016, Marta was awarded the title “Outstanding Pole in Austria” for her efforts in popularizing Polish culture and music outside of the country. She was also named Associate Fellow for the seasons 2017-2019 by the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship established by Marin Alsop.
Before deciding to become a musician, she spent several years professionally training in acrobatics, swimming, and middle distance running while at the same time studying flute and piano.