Travis Estes is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the voice behind how one of Buffalo’s cultural institutions connects with the city. He moved here in January 2023 for the job, never having set foot in Buffalo before, and quickly made Buffalo his forever home with a place near Hamlin Park, a spot on a curling team, and a seat license for the new Bills stadium.
Buffalo has a strong reputation for community pride. What does that feel like from where you sit?
It feels incredible. BPO musicians move to Buffalo, buy homes, and teach on the side locally, while their recordings are heard by people all over the world. As a nonprofit, we don’t have a lot of money to sponsor things, but we do have a stage and a platform we can use to highlight others, like our Festival Encanto Hispano.
What made you fall in love with Buffalo?
A friend told me Buffalo is the kind of place where regular people can make things happen without needing to be a major corporation. When I came to the interview, I was struck by how much art there was per capita, from the murals to the AKG to how much live music happens every week. Buffalo is its own little country because of how fiercely local it is. I’ll never forget the whole city’s shared emotion when the Bills and Sabres were both in the playoffs at the same time, or the final game at the Ralph, when the Buffalo United Community Choir sang the anthem in a gospel version and the whole crowd was in tears. Even now, I’m still discovering things I didn’t know existed, like the curling club and the rowing club.
What do you think a pro soccer club and the Philharmonic have in common when it comes to building community?
Both are civic institutions built around their communities. The BPO is over 90 years old, and Buffalo Pro Soccer is just being born. There’s a real difference between clubs built purely on outside money, like what happened with Manchester City, and ones that grow organically out of local support. I also love that promotion and relegation in soccer rewards genuine local buy-in rather than just spending power.
What do you think a pro soccer club and the Philharmonic have in common when it comes to building community?
Both are civic institutions built around their community. The BPO is over 90 years old, and Buffalo Pro Soccer is just being born. There’s a real difference between clubs built purely on outside money, like what happened with Manchester City, and ones that grow organically out of local support. I also love that promotion and relegation in soccer rewards genuine local buy-in rather than just spending power.
Favorite Buffalo spot or tradition you point newcomers to?
I love walking through Forest Lawn Cemetery near where I live. I’d also point people to a local EPL bar that opens early on Sunday mornings for games and puts out a pot of coffee for fans, even though it isn’t allowed to serve alcohol until 10 a.m.
What made you fall in love with Buffalo?
A friend told me Buffalo is the kind of place where regular people can make things happen without needing to be a major corporation. When I came to the interview, I was struck by how much art there was per capita, from the murals to the AKG to how much live music happens every week. Buffalo is its own little country because of how fiercely local it is. I’ll never forget the whole city’s shared emotion when the Bills and Sabres were both in the playoffs at the same time, or the final game at the Ralph, when the Buffalo United Community Choir sang the anthem in a gospel version and the whole crowd was in tears. Even now, I’m still discovering things I didn’t know existed, like the curling club and the rowing club.
Did soccer and music ever intersect for you before this?
Art and sport are both ways of seeing the best of what humans can be. This job specifically has let me get to know Buffalo Pro Soccer players and the local creatives behind the club’s branding one-on-one, including Brett from Oxford Pennant, who dropped off a Missouri to Buffalo care package.
What are you most excited to see as Buffalo Pro Soccer gets closer to launch?
I can’t wait to see how Buffalo responds to soccer once people actually go to a game. I think a lot of people dismiss it as not really an American sport simply because it hasn’t reached them yet. I’m also excited watching friends and family who know nothing about soccer already buying in and wanting to wear the gear.
What’s your EPL team, and who do you support for the World Cup?
I’m a die-hard Brighton and Hove Albion fan in the EPL, so once Buffalo Pro Soccer kicks off, I’ll be the one Seagull in the crowd. For the World Cup, I’ve always been a Netherlands fan, both men’s and women’s. I’ve been watching the Dutch women’s national team for as long as I can remember and I’m always impressed by them.
You’re on a curling team. How’d you get into that?
I met a guy talking about the local curling club at Big Ditch Brewery on my second day living in Buffalo. Months later, a woman from my Tai Chi class mentioned that a team needed a replacement player because someone had gotten injured halfway through the season. I joined then, and I’m now starting my third year with the club.
Anything else you want supporters to know?
The BPO isn’t just classical music. We’ve got a Stevie Wonder tribute coming up, live-orchestra screenings of movies like Coco, Flow, and Home Alone, and a Halloween concert that flows into a DJ Milk 90s and 2000s dance party in the Mary Seaton Room afterward.
