Wearing many musical hats already, Dr. Travis Allen has recently also taken on the role of executive director of the Central Oregon Symphony Association. He is a cellist extraordinaire, professor of music history and theory at COCC, member of the Dove String Quartet and frequent performer with the Sunriver Music Festival. He is also the first chair cellist of COSA, and if you’ve been to a concert in the last several years, he’s the one who makes playing the cello look so incredibly effortless that you think that just maybe a person could pick it up in a month or two. Unfortunately, I’ve been there and done that… and can attest that Travis makes it look far, far too easy.
There are some big changes ahead for the symphony as Michael Gesme, the conductor for the past 30 years, is retiring at the end of the season. I chatted with Allen about the future of the symphony and his path to this new position, which includes receiving a Master’s degree in Cello Performance from Portland State University and Master’s and Doctorate in Musicology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
the Source: With Michael Gesme’s upcoming retirement, obviously the selection of a new conductor is on everyone’s minds. Can you share with us how that process is going?
Travis Allen: It’s going well. People might not know that the position is tied to the college [COCC]. So, the job description has gone out to all the proper posting locations, and the search has started to find someone to fill that position.
tS: I recently read that you played in the Central Oregon Symphony when you were in high school before going off and obtaining your many music degrees. How did you end up back in Bend after all of your schooling?
TA: Primarily, I reconnected with someone that I knew in high school, and she was living up here. So, I came up here to finish my dissertation and be with her. Then, we [Travis and his now wife] just sort of stayed.
tS: It was love that brought you back.
TA: Yes.
tS: Wonderful. You have a Doctorate in Musicology, which is an interesting sounding degree. Can you tell us what it entails?
“I want to reassure everybody that the search for ‘Michael’ is happening, the process has begun, and we’ll be working through the applications and finding someone who fits the role. I’m pretty confident that we will find someone who is a nice complement for our community, but we will certainly forever be indebted to Michael and miss his guidance.” —Dr. Travis Allen
TA: The degree was created in the late 1800s or early 1900s as a way to make the field of music more scientific or academic, so that’s why they added the “ology” part. So, it’s like the science of music. The way it’s primarily focused now is mostly on music history and culture. There’s also a lot of advanced music theory involved, and like all music degrees it also includes all of the background things like piano proficiency, doing aural skills, which is learning how to dictate a melody, and that kind of stuff.
tS: Will you continue to play in the symphony even as you move into the role of executive director?
TA: Yes, indeed.
tS: Oh good. I must say, when you play the cello, you make it look so effortless! And because I have tried to play the cello, I tend to get so tense, and I manhandle my bow like it weighs 10 pounds. You, however, make it look so easy.
TA: I’m glad it looks effortless (laughing) because it does not feel like it. The wife of a member of the cello section in the orchestra said, “Does he even do anything up there? It doesn’t look like he’s doing anything.”
tS: So funny! I’m clearly not the only one who notices your effortless-appearing technique. Can you tell us about where the symphony is performing this year?
TA: In the past we were almost exclusively at Bend High. Actually, when I was playing in the symphony in high school, we had started to perform at Mountain View, which was the relatively brand-new auditorium at the time in town.
tS: Wow.
TA: Yeah, it was sort of shiny, fancy, new and exciting, but the problem they [the symphony] encountered after I went to college is that the venue is not super large, and they would have to turn away a lot of people who would show up for concerts. So, they moved to Bend High because it had that larger capacity, and they just stayed there until it was torn down a couple of seasons ago. Last year we spent time trying to figure out where we were going to be. We initially started at Caldera [High School] but we weren’t able to get the dates we needed for our spring concert last season, and we ended up doing our concert at Mountain View. And in that process, we discovered a couple of things… we were having an easier time getting concerts scheduled [at Mountain View High School] because it wasn’t a newer auditorium, and we also really enjoyed the sound there. It felt really warm and homey… so we decided to stick with it for this year.
tS: With Bend High’s big remodeling project, are they going to build another giant auditorium, or will it be smaller?
TA: From what I understand, they are planning to rebuild the auditorium at least to capacity. The information I read said they are re-building it at 1,400 seats, which is really large, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s supposed to be finished by 2028.
tS: That’s exciting, and I’m glad to hear that they are making the auditorium really big again, because there is such great energy to see the symphony in a huge, packed house.
TA: Yes, and one of the things that’s been super frustrating for us now is that we haven’t been able to let everybody in who wants to come, depending on what day it is. For us, that’s pretty heartbreaking because we love all of our donating members and really appreciate the support, but we also want to be here for the wider community, and it’s hard to do that with the limited seating we have at the moment.
tS: Is there anything else about the symphony that you’d like to share?
TA: I want to reassure everybody that the search for “Michael” is happening, the process has begun, and we’ll be working through the applications and finding someone who fits the role. I’m pretty confident that we will find someone who is a nice complement for our community, but we will certainly forever be indebted to Michael and miss his guidance. He’s just been such a strong part of our community and orchestra for so long. Also, we are excited about the work being done by the Central Oregon Center for the Arts, support their efforts, and are hopeful about the opportunities it could bring to our area.
Central Oregon Symphony Association
Spring Concert Series May 16 and 17
Mountain View High School
2755 NE 27th St, Bend
www.cosymphony.com
$75 for two tickets to all concerts in the season
This article appears in the Source February 19, 2026.
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Michael Gesme certainly will be missed. Whomever next takes his position will have big shoes to fill. Dr. Allen raises the issue of finding a suitable hall in which the COSO can perform. Please keep in mind that the march to build the Central Oregon Center for the Arts is well under way. Its probable location will be announced this spring, as will be its size. The COCA board, of which Maestro Gesme is a member, is determined to provide Central Oregon audiences with a modern, state-of-the-art facility that is comfortable for audiences and performers alike. For more, please visit https://cocArts.org.