An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Marine Band Members
Piccolo
Gunnery Sgt. Courtney Morton

Piccolo player Gunnery Sergeant Courtney Morton of San Jose, Calif., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in July 2013.

Gunnery Sgt. Morton began her musical training at age 10 and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 2000. She attended San Francisco State University (SFSU) and transferred to the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM) where she earned a bachelor’s degree in flute performance in 2004. In 2006, she earned a master’s degree in flute performance and literature from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. She studied with Linda Lukas of SFSU, Bradley Garner of CCM, and Walfrid Kujala of Northwestern and formerly of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” she served with the U.S. Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Md., from 2010-13 and performed with the Annapolis Symphony; the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Fla.; the Quad City Symphony in Davenport, Iowa; the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Ocean City, Md.; and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Gunnery Sgt. Morton was a prize winner in the 2012 National Flute Association Piccolo Artist Competition and the 2013 Walfrid Kujala International Competition. She was also an adjunct flute professor at North Park University in Chicago.

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