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Tina Laughlin was born in Elgin, Illinois and graduated with high honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.  She received both her B.M. and M.M. in Percussion Performance with a minor in Art History from DePaul University.  Her 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, theaters and ensembles in the Chicagoland area including the Paramount Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, Broadway in Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Music Theater Works, Consonance vocal ensemble and the Elgin Symphony. She is a regular section member of Chicago Sinfonietta and Chicago Philharmonic. Laughlin has performed with such artists as Idina Menzel, Johnny Mathis, Bernadette Peters, Martin Sheen, Andrea Bocelli, Carrie Underwood, Jackie Evancho, Billy Idol, Eddie Vedder, The Violent Femmes, The Who, Nas, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) and Stewart Copeland (formerly of the rock band The Police).

Laughlin also enjoys playing non-traditional orchestral repertoire, including video game concerts of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, NieR, and manga series One Piece as well as movies with live orchestra, including Encanto, Black Panther, The Batman, Elf, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Get Out. She is a founding member of World Beat Percussion Trio, a group dedicated to presenting chamber music from around the world to public school elementary students. Laughlin premiered George Flynn’s “Charged and Calm Surfaces” in March of 2010, which was written for and dedicated to Laughlin and clarinetist Christie Miller. She also premiered “Chicago Duo” with the composer George Flynn on piano in February of 2017, in honor of Flynn’s 80th birthday. In the fall of 2003, Laughlin performed the Midwest premiere of the Philip Glass operas "The Sound of a Voice" and "Hotel of Dreams" at the Court Theatre in Chicago. Laughlin has recorded with Millar Brass Ensemble, Chicago Sinfonietta, The Elgin Symphony and the Center for Black Music Research of Columbia College.

Laughlin can be seen in the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as the cymbal player in Carnegie Hall. In May of 2013, Laughlin was filmed playing in the orchestra of “A Christmas Carol: The Concert” which premiered on PBS stations nationwide December 14, 2013. She has taught at DePaul University for over 25 years. In the summer of 2013, Laughlin was appointed Instructor of Percussion at ����Թ�, where she teaches Instrumental Methods, Applied Percussion, Percussion Repertoire, Percussion Pedagogy and conducts Percussion Ensemble.