Maestro Joanna Medawar Nachef to Make Sixth Appearance at Carnegie Hall May 26

For Lebanon-born Joanna Medawar, performing on one of the world's biggest stages at legendary Carnegie Hall in Stern Auditorium "never gets old" despite five prior appearances. On Saturday, May 26 at 8 pm she will command the main stage a sixth time, conducting the New England Symphonic Ensemble in Joseph Haydn's Missa in Angustiis "Lord Nelson Mass" as part of MidAmerica Productions' 35th annual concert season.

Under Maestro Nachef's baton will be 125 singers from Los Angeles, California, out of which 100 are from her own choral groups: three college choirs (El Camino College Chorale, Concert Choir and Mixed Chorus), her professional choir (Joanna Medawar Nachef Singers) and her church choir (Peninsula Community Church). The 25 other singers are members of three other local choral groups (Harbor College, Guajome Chorus and Ewha Chorale). They'll be joined by Soprano Natalie Conte, Contralto Alison Bolshoi, Tenor Errin Duane Brooks and Bass-Baritone David Crawford.

"It is the dream of every musician to perform at Carnegie Hall and it is such a joy to make this dream come true for these choral singers," said Dr. Nachef. "The thrill of making beautiful music with choirs of different ages, backgrounds and abilities is most magical at Carnegie Hall. My mission has been to build bridges of understanding, dissolve misconceptions, nurture tolerance and expand the strands of harmony across cultures through the powerful message of music, 'The Universal Language.' This certainly is the best form of soft diplomacy and I have been fortunate to do several historic performances at Carnegie Hall with choirs from the United States, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates."

Elaborating on her choice of repertoire, Dr. Nachef recalled attending a recent lecture in honor of Leonard Bernstein's 100th anniversary where she learned that the Lord Nelson Mass was one of his favorite Haydn masses to conduct at Carnegie Hall. "I had developed a special connection with this mass as a graduate student in conducting at USC and was thrilled to hear that about that connection to Mr. Bernstein," she said. "I love the powerful brass that adds the fire to the contrasting lyrical themes."

When did Dr. Nachef realize that she had a talent for conducting?

"I was discovered by my college professor in 1977 at El Camino College, Dr. Jane Hardester, in a conducting class," she said. "As fate has it, my conducting journey brought me to this college where I have been serving for the past 21 years and carrying the legacy of the professor who discovered me. My motto as a musician is "Life is a performance and not a rehearsal." I truly believe in seeking excellence and not pursuing perfection, and I choose to reflect the music in every fiber in my body as I conduct the music of the masters."

What circumstances led to Dr. Nachef becoming the Middle East's first female conductor?

"I immigrated to the United States in 1997 because of the Lebanese Civil War and I was thrilled to discover that I could major in music as a college student," recalled Dr. Nachef. "In my youth, I would watch conductors and wonder if this is a world I could pursue as a female from the Middle East. I had not seen that many women conductors in the late 1970s-early 1980s in the western world and one from the Middle East. But my talent and drive, in this land of opportunity, the United States of America, allowed me to follow my passion, with perseverance and determination, and pave a new path for women from my region."

In addition to her six performances at Carnegie Hall, Dr. Nachef has also had the privilege of conducting the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014, Beirut Chants' Opening Concert in 2013 and the 2009 AL Bustan Summer Festival.

Purchase Tickets

Concerts in the Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage are $150, $100, and $50. Tickets may be obtained by contacting CarnegieCharge at 212-247.7800, visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue in New York, NY, or by going online to www.carnegiehall.org).