Originally from Rzeszów, Tomasz Chmiel graduated with distinction in piano performance from the State Secondary Music School in his hometown. He went on to study conducting with Professor Jerzy Katlewicz and piano with Professor Marek Koziak at the Academy of Music in Kraków, completing both courses with honours. He currently teaches at the Academy as an assistant professor and was awarded his postdoctoral degree in 2013.
He has twice received scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and Arts, and was also awarded a Creative Scholarship by the City of Kraków. Chmiel won first prize at the inaugural Witold Lutosławski National Review of Young Conductors. He has taken part in seminars with Helmuth Rilling at the Stuttgart Bach Academy and attended courses in Salzburg and Ireland. As a conductor, he has appeared with orchestras across Poland, including in Kraków, Rzeszów, Częstochowa, Szczecin and at the NOSPR in Katowice. He is a regular collaborator with the Kraków Opera, and has also worked with the Lublin Musical Theatre and the Kraków Chamber Opera.
As conductor of Krakowska Młoda Filharmonia, he led the orchestra to first prize at the National Competition of Secondary School Orchestras and has since directed concert tours across Europe and South Korea.
Chmiel is particularly dedicated to Polish music – he orchestrated Artur Malawski’s Symphony No. 1, as well as songs by Chopin and Karłowicz, patriotic hymns, Christmas carols, and pre-war Polish songs. He has arranged numerous operas and operettas, including Don Pasquale, The Elixir of Love, The Highlanders and the Krakowians, and The Merry Widow. He is also a keen arranger of film music. Many of his arrangements have been recorded and released on disc.