ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS

Although more and more women are seen on the podium these days, they’re still a relative rarity in a field historically dominated by men. That hasn’t always been a disadvantage for Marta Gardolińska.

“In some situations, it’s been difficult. I might not have been taken as seriously as a male colleague would have been. Some of that was a normal share of what a young conductor faces, having to lead groups of musicians with more experience than we have. On the other hand, there have been many times where, because I’m a woman, there was from the get-go more curiosity about what I was going to do. If the curiosity is there, the attention is there. If you’re competent and prepared, that’s another way of getting the orchestra on your side.” 

The path to a lifelong passion often begins with a very special teacher. Gardolińska recalled being an avid music student (flute and piano) in high school in Warsaw when she met choir director Katarzyna Sokołowska. 

“She had a beautiful technique, but she was also very inspiring and extremely motivating. She led our choir to win competitions. She offered me my first conducting lessons. When I started to learn the technique, it was the first time I felt really free with music. At first I thought that would just be something nice to do. I didn’t think about conducting as a job for a really long time; it was more about getting deeper insight into music in general. I had actually wanted to be a physiotherapist for musicians. But once I started studying, I did a student exchange in Vienna. I got drawn in by the city, and by the musical culture there. That showed me that conducting was something I’d like to do.”

Gardolińska is currently the Music Director of the Opéra National de Lorraine—the first woman ever appointed to that post—and principal Guest Conductor of Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona. She is thrilled about her San Francisco Symphony debut this month.

“It’s really exciting to conduct such a legendary orchestra. I have conducted a summer concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, but this will be my first proper US appearance on a subscription program. That’s a really big thing. I’m also a great fan of Esa-Pekka Salonen, so the fact that it’s his orchestra makes it even more important.”

She’ll be leading the Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony and Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with Pablo Ferrández. Also on the program is an overture written by Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–69).

“She was a female composer in Poland, a contemporary of Witold Lutosławski. She’s very well respected, with a very strong voice, and a very characteristic style. It’s quite energetic, and she loves to play with rhythms. She’s mostly known to string players, as she was a violinist herself. And she has a really nice repertoire of string quartets, violin concertos, and a concerto for string orchestra, her most famous piece. There is a little bit of a renaissance of her music right now happening in Poland, and she’s also gaining some attention abroad.”

Gardolińska feels it’s important to feature Polish composers when she conducts. “This is one of my main focuses, especially when I’m abroad—to showcase our music and our culture, because it’s definitely not as known as it should be. There’s so much that deserves to be heard. Some of the San Francisco players might not be very familiar with Bacewicz’s work, so I’m very interested in the first rehearsal, seeing how they respond and how we can communicate.”

Communication is key for all conductors, especially one working all over Europe. Gardolińska speaks five languages: Polish, English, German, French, and Spanish. 

“It’s actually a bit tricky. Language, in general is one thing, but language in music and in rehearsal varies. English is a little bit different in Great Britain and the USA. There are specific phrases one has to know that work, and will communicate really quickly. I will quite often just ask my colleagues to help me, and tell me what do I say to address things that are dragging or aren’t together? What is the common language for musicians in specific areas to help me communicate more quickly? And if I don’t know that, it definitely makes the rehearsal process more difficult.”

Of course, language is critical outside the rehearsal hall. “My husband is a Venezuelan pianist and composer, Alfredo Ovalles, so I’ve learned to speak with my in-laws!”