Costa Rican conductor Gabriela Mora-Fallas is known for her energetic, passionate, and inspiring conducting style and artistic leadership.

Her training includes music festivals and workshops across the Americas and Europe, including the National Orchestral Institute, the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors, and the Hot Springs Music Festival in the United States. She also participated in the Festival de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil, the International Conducting Workshop in Bulgaria, the Orchestra Sinfonica d’Este Conducting Masterclass in Italy, and seminars in Costa Rica. She completed her Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Boston Conservatory in the United States and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin.
 

After completing her studies in Boston, she returned to Costa Rica to actively contribute to the country’s musical life, serving as guest and cover conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and becoming the first Costa Rican woman to guest-conduct the orchestra in subscription-season concerts in its more than 70-year history. For these collaborations, she received the National Music Award in Conducting, presented by Costa Rica's Ministry of Culture in 2017.

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Gabriela is deeply committed to championing new works, particularly those by women and Latin American composers, leading Central American premieres of works by Lili Boulanger, Ester Mägi, Jennifer Higdon, Augusta Holmès, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Joan Tower. Her work in the United States has included performances of Silvestre Revueltas’s Sensemayá, Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Bassoon Concerto, and Ester Mägi’s Symphony with the University of Texas University Orchestra and the Butler School of Music Symphony Orchestra. Other collaborations include performances with renowned artists such as Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Marcin Dylla, Toby Oft, Eugene Rousseau, Fred Sauter, and Néstor Torres.

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A strong believer in music as a powerful instrument for positive social change and peace, Gabriela has remained deeply committed to youth and community music-making. In addition to her work with professional ensembles, she has devoted significant time to teaching and mentoring young musicians in Costa Rica through the University of Costa Rica, the National System of Music Education, and the National Institute of Music, as well as internationally through the Youth Symphony Orchestra of El Salvador, the University of Texas University Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, Austin Soundwaves, and other youth and community orchestras in Central Texas.

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Most recently, Gabriela Mora-Fallas was selected as an OAcademy Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellow for 2026, following her participation in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2025. Gabriela is a mentee of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (2023–2024). Her work has also been recognized nationally with Second Prize in The American Prize in Conducting (Community Orchestra Division, 2025). In Central Texas, she continues to expand her artistic and educational leadership through collaborations with Bluebonnet Philharmonic, Williamson County Symphony Orchestra, and Austin Soundwaves, where she combines high-level music-making with a strong commitment to youth development, community engagement, and inclusive programming. Her work in Austin reflects her dedication to building meaningful artistic pathways for students and communities through orchestral music.