Acadiana Symphony Music Director Mariusz Smolij Stepping Down After 21 Years

In Monday’s (9/2) KATC-ABC (Louisiana), an unbylined report states, “Mariusz Smolij, the longtime Music Director and Conductor of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, is stepping down. According to a release from ASO, Smolij is going to pursue new opportunities to conduct concerts with orchestras around the world. He has been Maestro of the ASO for 21 years, and the release states that he’s leaving ‘a legacy that includes hundreds of world-class concerts with dozens of top-tier guest artists, and ASO’s first-ever international concert tour to Poland, this past May.’ ASO’s 40th anniversary season will continue as planned, with no interruption to the existing concert lineup, community collaborations, or educational programming…. The Acadiana community will have the opportunity to bid Maestro Smolij farewell and celebrate his accomplishments at a special 40th Symphony Season Opening Night performance … Thursday, September 19, 2024, at Angelle Hall on the University of Louisiana campus…. ‘Over the course of the upcoming season, ASO will undertake a thorough and public search for its next music director, utilizing an audition process that will showcase the talent and creativity of guest conductors, and provide opportunities for audiences and stakeholders to offer feedback,’ a release states.”