Flutist Staff Sergeant Christina Hughes of Old Tappan, N.J., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in March 2022.

Staff Sgt. Hughes began her musical instruction on flute at age 7. After graduating in 2008 from Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg, N.Y., she attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2012. In 2015 she earned her master’s degree in music performance from the Yale School of Music in New Haven, Conn. Her instructors included Fenwick Smith at the New England Conservatory of Music, and Ransom Wilson at Yale.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Staff Sgt. Hughes was a freelance musician and performed with a number of ensembles, including the Houston, San Antonio, and New Jersey Symphonies; the Fort Worth, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Symphony Orchestras; the Philadelphia Orchestra; and the New York Philharmonic. She has also performed with the New York City Ballet, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” season two soundtrack.

Staff Sgt. Hughes 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.