Shannon Kiewitt

Clarinetist Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Kiewitt of Sevierville, Tennessee, joined “The President's Own” United States Marine Band in January 2011 and was appointed to the bass clarinet section in March 2017. Kiewitt began studying clarinet at age 10. After graduating from Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 1995, she attended Indiana University, earning a bachelor's degree in music performance in 1999 and a master's degree in music performance in 2001. Her teachers included Howard Klug and Alfred Prinz. Before joining “The President's Own,” she served in the United States Army Field Band at Fort Meade, Maryland, from 2001 to 2008 and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band at Fort Monroe, Virginia, from 2008 to 2010. She performed at the Belgian Clarinet Academy in Ostend in 1998 and 1999, attended the International Orchestra Institute Attergau in Austria in 2000, and was a semifinalist in the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition in 2003. Kiewitt performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band's annual concert tour. She has performed five solos with the Marine Band, most recently at The Midwest Clinic in String Quintet in E Major, Op. 1, arranged for reed quintet by Gunnery Sgt. Trevor Mowry. Her appearances on behalf of “The President's Own” include frequent presentations and performances at the International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest and masterclass workshops at the University of Maryland, Indiana University, Navy Band Clarinet Day, Clarinet Academy of America, and Gettysburg Clarinet Day. In addition to her work as a musician, Kiewitt serves as the Marine Band's Unit Fitness Instructor and leads its Supplemental Conditioning Program. She holds a Master Trainer Certification as well as certifications in fitness training, professional nutrition coaching, exercise therapy, corrective exercise, weight management, behavior modification, and strength and conditioning. She also volunteers as a Tour Educational Outreach Coordinator, served as a Chamber Music Coordinator in 2013 and 2021, and wrote program notes from 2013 through 2023. Her awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a gold star in lieu of a second award.

Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Kiewitt performs on the Royal Global Firebird Soprano and MAX Soprano clarinets, paired with a Corbin Hawley barrel and Honu (bass) and Chris Hill (B-flat) mouthpieces. She finds the Firebird produces a "very vocal, buttery, and colorful sound" and feels she "can just sing through this instrument." She also praises the "remarkable" intonation throughout all registers, noting that keywork like the G/D vent and the double register mechanism really help in providing "confidence with intonation and beauty of sound." Her switch came after decades on a Rossi clarinet from college: "It must be close to 25 years old. I love that horn. I wanted something that played similar with that beautiful vocal, colorful sound. The Royal Global Firebird gave me that — and at a very economical price point." The reliability of Royal Global instruments is a crucial factor for her busy performance schedule with "The President's Own," ensuring consistent performance and minimizing equipment-related issues. The same reasons have led many of her students to choose Royal Global, "not only for how they play, but for their reliability and price point."