Dr. Joanna Medawar Nachef is recognized as the first woman conductor from the Middle East. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Dr. Nachef came to Los Angeles in 1977. She is the Director of Chorale Activities at El Camino College. She earned her B. M. in piano performance from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and received her Master of Music degree and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California. Dr. Nachef is on the faculty of California State University, Dominguez Hills and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science, and is the Artistic Director for Los Cancioneros Master Chorale. As a church musician, she served as Minister of Music at Peninsula Community Church from 1980 to 1997 and is their choir director at the present time. Dr. Nachef was selected as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1986 and one of the 1996's Who's Who Among American Teachers.

On the national scene, she has directed both locally and in guest appearances in motion pictures and with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra of Orange County and the Carson-Dominguez Hills Orchestra. Internationally, she has conducted Los Cancioneros Master Chorale in Eastern Europe and Canada. She also has been touring with the El Camino College Chorale since 1997 with performances in San Francisco; San Jose; Carnegie Hall, New York; and San Diego; and an Hawaiian concert series on the island of O‘ahu. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium, the Lebanese ladies Cultural Society, and the African Diaspora of Sacred Music.

In the summer of 2004, Dr. Nachef was selected to participate in a new program initiated by the United States Department of State entitled Global Education Through Technology. As speaker and "Citizen Diplomat," she traveled to Italy and Lebanon to implement this "virtual classroom" about world cultures, led master classes in choral music, and planned future collaborations on cultural exchange. Dr. Nachef serves as a charter member of the Los Angeles/Beirut sister city organization, and in June 2006 participated in the delegation's visit to Lebanon.

The City of Torrance Cultural Arts Commission honored Dr. Nachef by selecting her as the recipient of the 2005 "Excellence in Arts Award" in Music.

On May 29, 2005, Dr. Nachef made her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall, New York, leading the New England Symphonic Ensemble and a 240 voice choir in Schubert's Mass in G. Dr. Nachef appeared for her second engagement with the El Camino Choirs on March 25, 2007.

Dr. Nachef recently was the recipient of the 2008 Daily Breeze/Torrance Performing Arts Consortium's "Making a Difference" director's award.