Jason K. Fettig (born 1974/1975) is a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Corps colonel who is the music adviser to the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and the 28th director of the United States Marine Band. Originally from Manchester, New Hampshire, Fettig was educated at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Maryland. An accomplished clarinetist, he assumed command of the United States Marine Band in 2014 after several years serving as the band's assistant director. , he holds the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Early life and education

Originally from Manchester, New Hampshire, Fettig began playing

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

at age eight. He graduated from Manchester Central High School, where he was drum major of the Manchester Central High School Marching Band, and completed his undergraduate education at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, where he studied

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

. Later, he received a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

Career

Early career

After completing his undergraduate studies, Fettig performed as a clarinetist with the

American Wind Symphony Orchestra The American Wind Symphony Orchestra (AWSO, also called the American Wind Symphony, or AWS) is an American musical ensemble incorporating many of the wind instruments found in a symphony orchestra. It is dedicated to the performance of contempo ...

. He enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

in 1997 and was posted to the U.S. Marine Band. In 2002 he was commissioned

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

and appointed assistant director of the band. Two years later, in 2004, he was promoted to captain and the band's

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

and, in 2007, was further promoted to major. During his tenure as assistant director, Fettig led expansion of the band's educational outreach programs, organizing clinics for music students in the

District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter ...

and creating an annual Young People's Concert.

Director of the United States Marine Band

Fettig was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, receiving the John Philip Sousa Baton and, with it, command of the United States Marine Band during a 2014 change of command ceremony officiated by

Commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions. The CMC reports directly to the secr ...

General

James F. Amos James F. "Jim" Amos (born November 12, 1946) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As a naval aviator, Amos commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during the Iraq War i ...

at Schlesinger Hall in Springfield, Virginia. He was advanced to colonel by order of President of the United States

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

in an August 2017 promotion ceremony held in the

Roosevelt Room The Roosevelt Room is a meeting room in the West Wing of the White House, the home and main workplace of the president of the United States. Located in the center of the wing, near the Oval Office, it is named after two related U.S. president ...

of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. Fettig's was the first military promotion personally performed by Trump. As director, Fettig has led the Marine Band during live performances on ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'' and

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

. He also launched a project to re-record all of the collected marches of John Philip Sousa, and personally conducted the world premieres of new works by

Adam Schoenberg Adam Schoenberg (born November 15, 1980) is an American composer. A member of the Atlanta School of Composers, his works have been performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles in the U.S. Schoenberg was the 2010-2012 guest composer for the As ...

, David Conte, David Rakowski, and Narong Prangcharoen. In 2018, under Fettig's direction, the Marine Band was named as an artist in its first regional

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, given in the category Special Event Coverage Other than News and Sports, for the WNET-TV broadcast of the television special ''United States Marine Band "New England Spirit"''. In 2021, Fettig led the Marine Band in the inauguration of Joe Biden amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In his capacity as director of the United States Marine Band, Fettig is also music adviser to the President of the United States.

Civilian awards

Fettig is the 2000 winner of the

International Clarinet Association The International Clarinet Association is the main international organization bringing together players of the clarinet. It is based in Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With ...

's Young Artist Competition. In 2014 he was elected a member of the American Bandmasters Association, considered the highest honor possible for American bandsmen.

Military awards

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

* Meritorious Service Medal * Navy Commendation Medal *

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...

* Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with two

bronze stars The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

* Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal * National Defense Service Medal * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

References

External links

Interviews with Jason Fettig on C-SPAN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fettig, Jason 1970s births Living people American bandleaders American clarinetists Manchester Central High School alumni Military personnel from New Hampshire Musicians from New Hampshire People from Manchester, New Hampshire United States Marine Band musicians United States Marine Corps colonels University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni University System of Maryland alumni