Senior Master Sgt. Mari Uehara Washington is the orchestra manager of the Air Force Strings, The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, her Air Force career began in 1999.
A graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Washington received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1993, and earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland in 1996. Her former teachers include Stephen Clapp, Greg Fulkerson, Arnold Steinhart and John Daly.
Washington has performed as assistant concertmaster in the Fairfax and Millbrook symphonies. She was also first violinist with the Adelphi String Quartet and a member of the Sakura Piano Trio. Washington was appointed concertmaster of the Air Force Symphony Orchestra in 2002, and appeared as soloist with the orchestra at Constitution Hall in 2003.
Highlights from Washington's career include the Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Metal Ceremony hosted by President George W. Bush in 2007, as well as a special concert for the King of Cambodia in Phnom Penh in 2016.