DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Mr. John Barnes Gordon
John Gordon is an original founder of the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra in 2002. He served as Chairman of the Board from 2002 to 2019. He stepped back and served as Director of Production during the 2019-20 season. He held the Orchestra together during the "COVID" crisis and was elected Director of Music in April of 2021. He was responsible for getting the May 2021 Orchestra concert performed in May of 2021 which restarted the Orchestra late in its 19th Season.
Over the 23 seasons of the Orchestra, John has been responsible for selecting and contracting for venues, positioning of the sections of the Orchestra for concerts at the venues, directing the audio and visual setups for recording the Orchestra in concert, and directing the production of the CD and DVDs. He has been an integral part in selecting the concert programs over the last twenty-three years. John’s tasks as Director of Music are to assign conductors for each concert series, to review and approve the concert programs, to provide the sheet music for all of the Orchestra musicians, to interview and add musicians to the Orchestra, and to select the section leadership of the Orchestra.
John Gordon was first trumpet all three years in Orchestra at Charles Milby High School in Houston (1961-64) and studied music theory in high school and at Rice University in the 1960’s. He has played for Catholic Church for 30 years and occasionally assists the Church music ministers that he has worked with (7). John’s profession is as a Registered Professional (Electrical) Engineer in the electric utility and industrial controls sector.
CONDUCTOR
Mr. Joshua Thompson
Joshua Thompson has been the Orchestra Director at Westwood High School since 2017. During his eight years leading this storied program, the orchestra program has grown to five performing orchestras and the Symphony Orchestra has been invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in 2019. Previously, Joshua was the Orchestra Director at Shepton High School, in Plano, Texas. In his 13 years at Shepton, he grew the orchestra program from 79 students in 2 performing groups to 172 students in 5 performing orchestras. In 2011, the Foundation of Music Education named the Shepton Chamber Orchestra one of three National Winners in the Mark of Excellence – National Orchestra Honors Competition, despite Shepton High School being a campus of only 9th and 10th graders.
Joshua holds a Master of Music degree in Music Performance in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Kentucky (Lexington) and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Kentucky, he conducted all of the university bands, the Symphony Orchestra, and various chamber ensembles. As an undergraduate conductor, Joshua became co-director of the Dana Brass Ensemble, founded a studio orchestra devoted to the performance of film music, and guest conducted both university concert bands and the Youngstown Youth Symphony Orchestra. His final conducting appearance at Youngstown State was a highly successful, full production of Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat. A lifelong learner, he has attended conducting workshops around the world, including the International Conducting Workshop and Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, working with Larry Rachleff and Donald Schleicher.
As a trumpeter, Joshua was chosen to perform as part of a solo clinic at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Richmond, Virginia, where he performed the Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by Peter Maxwell Davies with pianist Rebecca Wilt. He was a semi-finalist at the National Trumpet Competition’s Masters Division in 1998, and was chosen as an alternate for the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida after completing graduate school. As an undergraduate, he won the Dana School of Music Concerto Competition and was the winner of the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Solo Competition in 1996. AND, Mr. Thompson has conducted the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra numerous times.
CONDUCTOR
Ms. Gabriela Mora Fallas
Gabriela “Gabi” Mora began her music studies at the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica. She participated in music festivals and workshops abroad, including the “American Academy of Conducting” in Aspen Music Festival, the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in USA, and Seminars in Brazil and Costa Rica. She completed her master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Boston Conservatory in the USA.
After concluding her conducting studies in Boston, she returned to Costa Rica to actively participate in the musical scene of the country, where she was awarded the National Music Award in 2017 given by the Ministry of Culture of Costa Rica for her achievements as a conductor. Gabriela has served as guest conductor and cover conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and principal Artistic Director and Conductor of Cartago Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. In 2022 Gabriela served as the conductors of The University of Texas University Orchestra while she worked on her Doctoral studies with Maestro Farkhad Khudyev. She received her Doctorate in Conducting in April of 2025.
Gabriela has co-conducted and conducted the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra multiple times and is an audience favorite.
PAST SERIES CONDUCTOR
Dr. Beau Benson
Dr. Bruce “Beau” Benson, who resides in the Waco Texas area, has extensive experience conducting Orchestras. He has served as the “Cover Conductor” for the Ft Worth Symphony. He is currently the Music Director/Conductor of the Oregon East Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Some of his past work includes Principal Director of the Metroplex Opera (Dallas), Music Director of the Texas A&M Symphony, and numerous concerts as guest conductor.Dr Beau Benson has received a Bachelors of Music, Suma Cum Laude, in Guitar Performance and Music Education from Southern Methodist University in 2003. He received a Masters of Music in Orchestra Conducting from Southern Methodist University in 2007. And in 2010, he received a Doctorate of Musical Art in Conducting from Michigan State University. Beau has attended numerous conducting workshops including Conductors Institute of America and International Academy of Advanced Conducting.Dr Benson conducted the Williamson County Symphony in its December 2021 concert series.
PAST SERIES CONDUCTOR
Mr. Joshua Thompson