Percussion Instructor, Tina Laughlin, was born in Elgin, Illinois, and attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. In addition to her performance studies at DePaul University, she holds a minor in Art History. Her musical training also included eight years with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where she performed under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez and Sir Georg Solti. As a freelance artist, Laughlin performs with many orchestras and theaters in the Chicagoland area including the Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, Lake Forest Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Sinfonietta, Light Opera Works and the Elgin Symphony.

A proponent of new music, Laughlin appears regularly on the New Music DePaul concert series, performs with the CUBE New Music Ensemble, has performed several of John Eaton's operas, as well as countless other projects. In 2000, Laughlin became a core member of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project. In the fall of 2003 Laughlin performed in the Midwest premieres of the Philip Glass operas “The Sound of a Voice” and "Hotel of Dreams" at the Court Theatre in Chicago. In May of 2009 Laughlin recorded Michael Abels’ “Aquadia” which played at the Shedd Aquarium as accompaniment to the live show “Fantasea.” She was featured live on WFMT radio in January 2010, performing with the CUBE New Music Ensemble. In March of that same year, Laughlin premiered “Charged and Calm Surfaces” by Chicago composer George Flynn; a work written for and dedicated to Laughlin and clarinetist Christie Miller.

Laughlin has recorded with Millar Brass Ensemble, Chicago Sinfonietta, The Elgin Symphony and the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago. Laughlin is also seen in the film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” as the cymbal player in Carnegie Hall. She has taught at DePaul University for over 15 years and is in her fifth year of teaching percussion at ChiArts, Chicago’s only tuition free high school dedicated to teaching students in the arts. She also really likes to dance salsa.