Clarinet player Staff Sergeant Harrison Burks of Alpharetta, Ga., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in June 2018.

Staff Sgt. Burks began his musical training on clarinet at age 9. After graduating in 2008 from Milton High School in Milton, Ga., he attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance in 2012 and studied with Osiris Molina. He continued his studies at Indiana University in Bloomington where he earned a master’s degree in clarinet performance in 2014, where he studied with Howard Klug. Other notable teachers include Ronald Aufmann, Ben Freimuth, and Ralph Skiano all of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Staff Sgt. Burks performed with the Evansville Philharmonic in Indiana.

Staff Sgt. Burks performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour.