Pianist Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Schmitt of Fairfax Station, Va., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in August 2013.

Gunnery Sgt. Schmitt began his musical training on the piano at age 5 and graduated from the Seton School in Manassas, Va., in 2004. He attended the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston before transferring to The Juilliard School in New York where he earned a bachelor’s degree in performance in 2009, a master’s in 2011, and a doctorate in 2016. His notable instructors included the late Patricia Zander of NEC, and Julian Martin of Juilliard.

Prior to joining the band, Gunnery Sgt. Schmitt taught privately and gave master classes in New York and in the Northern Virginia area.

Gunnery Sgt. Schmitt performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House and home of the Commandant for State Dinners, receptions, and other functions, and throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour.