Samolij studied violin playing at the Academy of Music in Katowice. In 1986, he went to the United States with the Penderecki String Quartet, which he had founded. Over there, he continued studies in Chamber Music in Wisconsin and in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, from which he received a doctorate degree in 1998.
In 1994-1997, he was the assistant conductor at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, which he led in over 120 concerts that were cclaimed by the spectators and critics alike. He was also the resident conductor at the Houston Symphony Orchestra (2000-2003), the music director of the chamber orchestra of the Riverside Symphonia in New Jersey, and of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Lafayette (Louisiana). Back in Poland, between 2002 and 2004, he was the artistic director of the Witold Lutosławski Philharmonic in Wrocław and of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival. He also led the Wrocław Orchestra during concerts in France (the inauguration of the Polish Year in Strasbourg), Germany (Rheingau Musik Festival, among others), Czech Republic (Leoš Janáček Festival), and during its first ever tour in North America.
Mariusz Smolij has collaborated with over one hundred orchestras in twenty five different countries, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Rochester Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, Symphony Nova Scotia, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta, Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Orchestra Teatro Olimpico – Vicenza, Orchestra Sinfonica Lecce, Orchestre Lamoureux Paris, Bergishe Symphoniker, Kiel Philharmonie, Staatsorchester Frankfurt, München Sinfoniker, the Bulgarian National Philharmonic in Sofia, Serbian National Philharmonic in Belgrade, Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra and Opera, Karlsbad Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic), and Sinfonieorchester Basel. He has performed on major world stages, such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, ABC Hall in Johannesburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Tonhalle in Zurich, and Salle Gaveau in Paris. In Poland, he often collaborates with the Polish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia – he also led the latter ensemble during its tour in France, Japan, and United States. He has moreover occasionally conducted majority of Polish philharmonic and radio groups, e.g. the National Philharmonic as part of the Lutosławski Forum.
The artist records for, among others, Hungaroton, CD Accord, and NPR. He has been regularly collaborating with NAXOS since 2004. His 2006 album featuring Andrzej Panufnik's music, recorded in collaboration with the Polish Chamber Orchestra, which was released by the label, received a distinction from London Evening Standard, as well as very positive reviews in Europe and United States. The following album, recorded with the Orchestra of the Poznań Philharmonic, was dedicated to Tadeusz Szeligowski's symphonic compositions (2007). Naxos and CD Accord have released multiple records with his collaborations with Sinfonia Varsovia. 2008 saw the release of his album with Budapest Concert Orchestra, which featured symphonic works by Miklós Rózsa.
In 1996-2000, Mariusz Smolij worked at the Chicago Northwestern University as conducting professor and chamber orchestra director. He also regularly teaches international courses, for instance in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, United States, Poland, and Switzerland (Zurich Conservatory).
He is the ambassador of Polish music in the US. He often includes works by Polish composers in his performances, while in 1998 he organised Polish Music Festival in Chicago, which was one of the largest single showcases of Polish music outside of the country.
Artist's website: www.mariuszsmolij.com
Author: Małgorzata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Centre, Polish Composers' Union, February 2004, update: November 2009, transl. AM, June 2016