Master Sgt. Jess Lightner is a tubist with the Ceremonial Brass, The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. A native of Garden City, Kansas, his Air Force career began in 2003.
Lightner was a scholarship student at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and in 2001 earned a Bachelor of Music degree with distinction in tuba performance. He furthered his studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Master of Music in tuba performance in 2003. Lightner has studied with Scott Watson, Timothy Northcut and Michael Grose. He has performed in the Prism Brass Quintet, and has worked with Gunther Schuller, Sam Pilafian and Keith Lockhart.