Lieutenant Colonel Cristina M. Moore Urrutia serves as Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, Travis Air Force Base, California. The 60-member unit, composed of ten musical ensembles, performs more than 350 missions annually throughout a five-state area of responsibility as an ambassador of the Air Force and Air Mobility Command. The unit’s mission is to honor our nation and its military, inspire and invigorate the resiliency of Airmen and their families, and connect with both the American public and vital regional and national partners to build trust and advocate for our nation’s strategic defense priorities.

A native of Kimball, Nebraska, Lt Col Moore Urrutia is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned a Bachelor of Music in French Horn Performance and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting in 1995 and 1998 respectively. She began her military career as an enlisted member of the United States Army in 1992, serving as Principal Horn and Associate Conductor of the 43rd Army Band of the Nebraska National Guard. She then joined the United States Air Force, receiving her commission as a Distinguished Graduate of Officer Training School in April 2001, and was assigned to the United States Air Force Band of Liberty, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Prior to her current position she was the Commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe Band, Ramstein Air Base, Germany which fortified relationships and expanded partnerships across Europe and Africa.

Lt Col Moore Urrutia has served multiple command tours, leading musical ensembles before U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state, and many other senior military and civilian leaders at such prestigious locations as the White House and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, and Maidan Square in Kyiv, Ukraine. She directed the U.S. musical support for the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day, the 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, and multiple events across Europe for the 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II. Lt Col Moore Urrutia has deployed to Central and South America on the USNS Comfort as part of Operation CONTINUING PROMISE, aided humanitarian efforts for Afghan evacuees during Operation ALLIES REFUGE, and has leveraged engagement opportunities throughout Africa and Asia, using music to bridge cultures and further U.S. strategic partnership building objectives across six continents. Additionally, she conducted the Singing Sergeants at Ford's Theatre in the nationally televised An American Celebration: A Salute to Our Troops, was the guest emcee for the PBS special Salute to Veterans 2011, and has appeared as a guest conductor and clinician for multiple military and civilian bands and orchestras worldwide. Units under her command have received multiple awards, including the Colonel George S. Howard Citation for Musical Excellence, the Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award, the Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award, and the Public Affairs Communication Excellence Award for Best Communication Integration.