Her two-year contract begins in the 2022/2023 season.
Gardolińska, 33, made her debut with the Barcelona ensemble last year in a programme that included Little Suite, an early piece by 20th-century Polish composer Witold Lutosławski.
She told Poland's PAP news agency that she intends to include 20th-century music and works by Polish composers in her concerts with the Barcelona orchestra.
The Pole currently serves as music director of the Opéra national de Lorraine in the French city of Nancy.
Gardolińska studied conducting in Warsaw and Vienna. She has worked with several leading orchestras in Europe and the United States, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
(mk/gs)