Dr. Joanna Drimatis – $500 Award Winner

The International Alliance for Women in Music is awarding $500 to Dr. Joanna Drimatis, recognizing her deliberate and conscious efforts to achieve greater gender equality in the concert hall. Joanna is a highly-respected champion of Australian music and contemporary classical music – contributing comprehensively through her output as a conductor, performer, musical director, researcher and educator.

Joanna is currently the Music Director/Chief Conductor of the Beecroft Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the NSW Doctors’ Orchestra in Sydney. Joanna has also guest conducted the Australian Doctors’ Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Mosman Symphony, Woollahra Philharmonic, Hourglass Ensemble, Steel City Strings, Orange Symphony Orchestra and for the Orange Chamber Music Festival. In 2022-23, Joanna has enjoyed conducting productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Emilieby Kaija Sariaaho (Australian premiere), Threading the Light by Felicity Wilcox (world premiere), Britten’s Turn of the Screw and Pagliacci for young Sydney-based opera company The Cooperative. For Gente Gente Productions, she has conducted Dialogues of the Carmeliites by Poulenc and Riders to the Sea by Vaughan Williams. Since 2025, Joanna is co-curator and conductor for the Momentum Plus Orchestral recording project, funded by Music Australia.