Personnel Bio

MU1 Mackenzie Austin

Musician 1st Class Mackenzie Austin, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, joined the Coast Guard band as a clarinetist in July 2023. Along with performing in the band, she also has an active orchestral career, serving as the principal clarinetist of Symphony New Hampshire. 

She completed her undergraduate studies in music at Texas Christian University and graduate studies at Northwestern University. She furthered her skills in orchestral performance and curatorial studies as a fellow in The Orchestra Now at Bard College. She has performed at renowned stages such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Fischer Center, and was featured in the "Sight and Sound" concert series at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. She has performed widely as a chamber musician and soloist including being featured in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante at Hudson Hall with The Orchestra Now and performing Weber’s Concertino with Symphony New Hampshire. As an orchestral musician she has worked under the baton of many prestigious conductors such as Carlos Miguel Prieto, JoAnn Faletta, Robert Spano, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Yannik Nézet- Séguin, Jonathan Hayward, and Dale Clevenger. She has participated in several music festivals across the nation including the Spoleto Music Festival, Berkshire Opera Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, and the Fort Worth Conducting Institute Orchestra. 

Mackenzie follows a family lineage of proud military service, with both her parents being veterans and her brother currently serving in the Air Force. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, walking her dog, reading, watching A24 movies, and doing the daily NYT crossword puzzle.