Clarinetist Staff Sgt. Sérgio Coelho of Lustosa, Portugal, joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in September 2025.
Coelho began his musical training at age 8 and graduated from ARTAVE Escola Profissional Artística do Vale do Ave in Santo Tirso, Portugal, in 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree in clarinet and orchestra performance from Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2013. Coelho then attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and earned a graduate certificate in clarinet performance in 2016, a master’s degree in clarinet performance in 2018 and an artist diploma in clarinet performance in 2020. Coelho studied with Lusia Marques at ARTAVE, Nuno Silva at Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra and Yehuda Gilad at USC.
Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Coelho performed with the Long Beach Symphony, San Francisco Opera, American Youth Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia. He was the first place winner of the University of Southern California Concerto Competition in 2015 and the first place winner of the American Youth Symphony Concerto Competition in 2018. Coelho has taught masterclasses at California State University in Northridge, Fullerton and Longbeach in California and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles.
Coelho performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House in the Washington metropolitan area and across the country during the band’s National Concert Tour.