A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Dominick Travis

Music has never been just a hobby for Dominick Travis. It’s a journey of constant growth, new opportunities, and performances on increasingly larger stages.

Travis started his musical journey in Texas, playing the saxophone in the sixth grade band. He moved to Indiana in seventh grade. He remained in the woodwind family but made a slight transition from the saxophone to the flute at the start of 2020. He played in the band at Chesterton High School, and he started reaching impressive milestones as soon as his freshmen year.

“I got to play in the All-State Band during my first year, which was a lot of fun,” Travis said. “In my sophomore year, I started to get involved in youth orchestras. I joined the Chicago Youth Symphony and the Northwest Indiana Youth Symphony. It got me involved in the orchestra world, and that’s where I found my calling.”

After close to a year of being self-taught, Travis started taking lessons from Cynthia Fudala, who teaches at Valparaiso University. He credits Fudala with being an instrumental part of his growth as a flutist.

“Taking lessons with her was great. She taught me so much and, in a way, tamed me because I was definitely a crazy young player. It helped me to have some guidance,” Travis said.

Throughout high school, Travis continued with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. In his senior year of high school, he was able to tour Spain with the orchestra in 2025 and play for Lollapalooza in Chicago.

A few months later, he started his education at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, learning from Thomas Roberts. When he first started his education there, he had a conversation with his professor about how he was not planning to do any festivals in the summer of 2026, at least not until he was recommended to audition for the Sarasota Music Festival.

“The festival only took place for two weeks this year, so it was actually attainable for me to go. It was certainly a last-minute decision, but I recorded my audition and sent it in. A couple days later, I found out that I was a fellow,” Travis said. “I was so grateful for the opportunity because there are about 40 or so fellows.”

The Sarasota Music Festival took place in Florida from June 1-13. Over those two weeks, Travis was able to learn much from the other musicians and the faculty.

“It helped my musicianship just being able to form those bonds with the other players, and figure out how to adjust while playing alongside the other people there,” Travis said. “The faculty was great for not only learning how to be a better musician but also how they play and hearing about their life. They taught me how to navigate the complicated and complex career that classical music is. Playing in the orchestra was a great way to end the festival as well.”

For Travis, the thrill of being placed in different scenarios, surrounded by new people and ideas, is one of the most exciting parts about being a musician.

While he has traveled to perform at various music festivals, he is appreciative of the times that he can come back and enjoy the aftermath of these accomplishments in the Valparaiso community.

“Not only have the lessons from Cynthia been so important, but Valparaiso is just a nice place for me to call my home,” Travis said. “I’m constantly doing so many things, and to come back to a community like this where everyone is so friendly – the town is so great. It’s just home.”

When he isn’t practicing, performing or studying music, Travis loves spending time in all the parks that Valparaiso has to offer. Two of his favorite hobbies apart from his musical endeavors are playing tennis and going for a run. He also loves exploring the local communities and going to the beach.

While Travis is still young, he has already accomplished so much. He believes that his career is just starting to take off. He is looking forward to another year of education, growth, and maximizing his opportunities to perform.

“I’m just about to start my sophomore year at Indiana University, and getting another year to play in all those ensembles and learn more is the biggest thing for me,” Travis said. “I plan to continue auditioning for more festivals, and I was even thinking about the Aspen Music Festival or Tango and Music Festival, so I’m trying to level up more and more to get all these different experiences and opportunities.”