Master Chief Musician Lynda Dembowski
Clarinet
Master Chief Musician Lynda Dembowski is a native of Waynesboro, Virginia. She attended James Madison University, earning a Bachelor of Music Education in 1991 and a Master of Music in clarinet performance in 1997. She received an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University in 1999. In 2008, she was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her principal teachers include Loren Kitt, Mark Nuccio, Leslie Nicholas, and Dr. S. James Kurtz.
Dembowski has performed with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the American Sinfonietta Orchestra, as well as the Mid-Atlantic, Roanoke, Westmoreland, and Londontowne Symphony Orchestras. She has performed with recording artists Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, and Bruce Hornsby. She became a charter member of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra in 1993, and has served as Principal Clarinet and Soloist. She also served as middle and high school band director for Augusta County Public Schools in Virginia.
In 1999, Dembowski auditioned and was selected for assignment to the U.S. Naval Academy Band. She performs with the marching band and ceremonial units, chamber winds and clarinet quartet, and has served as Principal Clarinetist of the wind ensemble. She serves as Staff Division Leading Chief Petty Officer and enlisted conductor. Dembowski has supported USNA Command for 20 years as Enlisted Representative for the USNA International Pistol Team.
Dembowski's awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Navy Good Conduct Medal (eight awards).