Travis Alford

Travis Alford grew up in Spring Hope, NC. He began playing the trumpet at age 11, continuing through high school and on to East Carolina University, where he began composing and received a BM in Music Theory/Composition (2005), studying with Mark Richardson, Edward Jacobs, and Mark Taggart, and trumpet with Britton Theurer. He is now pursuing a Masters in Composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston, having studied with Lee Hyla and David Rakowski. This Fall, Travis will begin the PhD program in Composition at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.

Travis's compositions have been performed in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and beyond. His kakophonia for brass quintet received Honorable Mention in the 2007 Meridian Arts Ensemble Composition Competition. His Ping for two trumpets was performed at the 2006 "Exploring Trumpet" international seminar in Kalavrita, Greece. In 2005 his Stretching Limitations for solo tape was awarded "Most Outstanding Composition" by REBEL Magazine. Also in 2005/06, Travis was involved with the new "Young Composers" program (Edward Jacobs, director), aimed at exposing and teaching creative thinking and composition to elementary and middle school students in Pitt County, NC.

Travis also remains active as a performer, having performed with such groups as the North Carolina "Pops" Orchestra, the Jazz group "Lydian Mix", and various chamber ensembles. He is currently a member of "The Forge", a NEC-based contemporary improvisation collective aimed at bridging and/or eliminating the divides between any and all musical "genres", a philosophy Travis carries into all his projects.

Travis currently resides in Allston, MA, with his lovely wife, Lauren.