The U.S. Army Strings, a premier ensemble of the U.S. Armed Forces, provide a musical backdrop for many of the country’s most notable events. Their mission is to serve as musical ambassadors for high-level military and government events at home and abroad, as well as in concert for public audiences. The Soldiers who comprise this ensemble have been trained at the most prestigious music conservatories and universities in the country. This versatile ensemble performs as The U.S. Army Strolling Strings, in mixed chamber ensembles, and as The U.S. Army Orchestra.
The U.S. Army Strolling Strings are one of the most requested musical ensembles by our nation’s military leadership. Since its inception during the Eisenhower administration, the group has provided musical entertainment at the White House for every president. Missions include performing for the Department of Defense, the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, kings, queens, and heads of state from countries worldwide. The Strolling Strings offer audiences the unique perspective of being within the ensemble as Soldiers elegantly move about the venue playing their instruments. The Strolling Strings offer a wide array of memorized repertoire, including patriotic, classical, international, jazz, Broadway, bluegrass, and exclusive music arrangements for special guests and events.
Chamber music is a core element of The U.S. Army Strings’ mission. String quartets provide a backdrop for significant official functions as well as public performances. Duos, trios, quartets, and mixed chamber ensembles perform in venues throughout the National Capital Region.
The U.S. Army Strings join with Soldiers from other elements of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” to form The U.S. Army Orchestra. This group performs musical works from a diverse repertoire at some of the nation’s finest venues, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Lincoln Center in New York City, the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland, College Park, and the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia.
Program
Jessie Montgomery: Starburst
COL Bruce R. Pulver, conductor
George Meyer: In the Wild
CPT Bonnie Alger, conductor
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, 1st movement
LTC Randall Bartel, conductor
Sheridan Seyfried: Homeward
COL Bruce R. Pulver, conductor
Florence Price: Andante moderato from String Quartet No. 1 in G Major
MSG Catherine Gerhiser, violin 1
SFC Judy Cho, violin 2
SSG Rebecca Barnett, viola
SFC Hrant Parsamian, cello
Rogers/Hammerstein: My Favorite Things
MSG Rob Martin, violin
SFC Jan Knutson, guitar
SSG Patrick Spallinger, bass
David Balakrishnan: Skylife
SFC Sergey Prokofyev, violin 1
SSG Jordan Hendy, violin 2
SSG Erica Schwartz, viola
SFC Aaron Ludwig, cello
Trad. Danish: Sekstur from Vendsyssel / The Peat Dance arr. Danish String Quartet
SFC Lisa Park, violin 1
SGM Matthew Evans, violin 2
SSG Austin Simmons, viola
MSG Benjamin Wensel, cello
Kurt Weill: September Song arr. SGM Alex Smith
Carlos Almerán: Historia de un Amor arr. SGM Manny Bobenrieth
Über den Wolken arr. SFC Jan Knutson
SSG Peter Walker, bass
Mayonaka No Door / Stay With Me arr. SFC Jan Knutson
SSG Virginia Lafean, soprano
Samuel A. Ward: America the Beautiful arr. SFC Jan Knutson
Bios
COL Bruce Pulver
Commander, The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”
Colonel Bruce R. Pulver, a Melbourne, Fla., native, holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Music Education from Old Dominion University. He has served the Nation in uniform for over 30 years, representing the Army in 37 countries and across nearly every U.S. state.
As Leader and Commander of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” he has directed performances for Presidential, Congressional, and military events, including the 60th Presidential Inauguration, the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit, the Army’s 250th Birthday, and the State Funeral for President Jimmy Carter.
Previously, he was Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Field Band (20082012), commanded the U.S. Army Europe Band & Chorus in Germany (20122015), and served as Commandant of the U.S. Army School of Music (20152022), where he oversaw training for over 3,000 Soldiers. In 2021, he was named Chief of Army Bands.
His awards include the Legion of Merit, NATO Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, and German Schützenschnur in Gold. A member of the American Bandmasters Association, he also received the Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence. Colonel Pulver and his wife, Dianne, have two children and two grandchildren.
LTC Randy Bartel
Deputy Commander, The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own”
Lieutenant Colonel Randy Bartel, a native of Marshall, Mos., began his military service in 1996 as a trumpet instrumentalist with the Quantico Marine Corps Band. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Central Methodist University and a Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting from the University of Missouri. Before commissioning through Officer Candidate School in 2005, he taught for four years as Director of Bands at Elsberry Public Schools.
In his current assignment at “Pershing’s Own,” he serves as the Deputy Commander and Officer in Charge of The U.S. Army Strings. In his first assignment at “Pershing’s Own,” he served as Director of The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band and Herald Trumpets. He led performances for five U.S. Presidents, state events, and major televised programs, including the National Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth.
His other military assignments have included serving as the Commander, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Band and Chorus; Commander, U.S. Army Training
and Doctrine Command Band; Associate Bandmaster, The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own;” and Band Programs Officer, U.S. Forces-Iraq. His awards include the Bronze Star and four Meritorious Service Medals. He and his wife, Regina, have two sons.
CPT Bonnie Alger
Associate Conductor, The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”
Captain Bonnie Alger serves as Officer in Charge of The U.S. Army Chorus. A native of New Milford, Conn., she holds a doctorate in conducting from the University of Maryland, where she assisted in the orchestra program and sang with the Concert Choir alongside the Baltimore and National Symphony Orchestras. She also earned master’s degrees in music education (University of Southern California) and conducting (University of Northern Iowa) and a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University. Her research explores the history and culture of women’s orchestras outside the U.S.
Captain Alger has led performances with The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Field Band, and the Training and Doctrine Command Band, and previously served as Executive Officer for the 1st Cavalry Division Band at Fort Hood, Texas. Before joining the Army, she worked as a freelance conductor, singer, violinist, and educator across the U.S. and abroad, including directing choral activities at GEMS American Academy in Abu Dhabi. She has collaborated with Philadelphia-based Orchestra 2001 and the legendary Quincy Jones, served as a cover conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra, and worked as an adjudicator and clinician nationwide. She resides in Northern Virginia.
George Meyer
Violinist/violist/composer George Meyer is equally interested in classical music and fiddle playing, and the music he writes draws on both sources. He has performed his own compositions in a wide variety of settings, from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival to the 92nd Street Y. He has been commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest, Katie Hyun with Astral Artists, Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, the Aizuri Quartet, the New York Classical Players, and Bravo! Vail.
2024-2025 highlights include the premiere of a Triple Concerto for two violins and viola with Emma Frucht, Brian Hong, and George as soloists with the New York Classical Players and Dongmin Kim in four NYC concerts. Upstream, a duo project with pianist-composer Will Healy, made its Carnegie Hall debut and recorded an album of 11 original cocompositions for release Fall 2025.
Other projects include a duo with his father, bassist Edgar Meyer. They perform traditional, original, and co-written works and have also toured with Sam Bush and Mike Marshall. They will join Marshall again to tour in 2026.
He holds degrees from Harvard College and the Juilliard School, and he is faculty at Juilliard’s Extension Division. He is from Nashville, TN.
Sheridan Seyfried
Composer Sheridan Seyfried’s melodic, accessible style connects with listeners of many different musical backgrounds. Firmly grounded in classical tradition, it is also influenced by styles such as New Age, Celtic, and folk. Seyfried’s orchestral, chamber, and solo works have been performed at major venues around the world (including Carnegie Hall) and have been played by some of classical music’s most renowned performers, including violinists Ray Chen and Ida Kavafian, cellist Jonah Kim, pianist Orli Shaham, and clarinetist David Shifrin.
Seyfried’s 2017 Double Concerto, written for violinists Nikki and Timothy Chooi, has been performed by many orchestras, including the Santa Fe Symphony and the Evansville Philharmonic (IN). It has also been broadcast nationally nearly a dozen times on American Public Media’s Performance Today. His cello and piano duo Dancing in the Eye of the Storm (written for Jonah Kim) debuted in 2022 at Festival Mozaic (CA), where a reviewer called the piece “the audible incarnation of the thrilling.” Seyfried’s Sextet for clarinet, piano, and strings is frequently performed around the world, including by Belgian clarinetist Roeland Hendrikx.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1984, Seyfried grew up playing violin in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and studying composition with James Grant. He received an ASCAP Young Composers Award in 2001, and went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music with Richard Danielpour. Upon graduating, he received awards for excellence in both composition and music theory. Seyfried completed graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music with Nils Vigeland. He currently lives outside Philadelphia.
SSG Virginia Lafean, Vocalist
SSG Virginia Lafean was born in Fairfax, Virginia; following a move in 2007 to Basking Ridge, New Jersey, she completed high school at Ridge High School. She attended Indiana University Jacobs School of Music pursuing a Bachelors degree for three years when a 3-month study abroad in Scotland became a transfer to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, from which she received her Bachelors of Music and her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance.
Lafean is trained in opera and classical singing, her most notable roles being Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). She has received several awards for her musicality and technical ability, such as the Tillet Trust Bursary Award and the Norma Grieg French Song Prize, and has sung in masterclasses with renowned singers such as Dame Ann Murray and Elizabeth Llewelyn. Lafean’s classical training serves as a foundation through which she can enjoy singing a variety of styles with sound technique; she loves performing musical theatre, art song, pop, soul, and rock,
as well as many others. She is honored to serve her country as a member of the United States Army Chorus.
SSG Peter Walker, Vocalist
Described as a “commanding” singer by a recent Boston Globe review, and “rich voiced” and “vivid” by the New York Times, SSG Peter Walker performs with the GRAMMY-nominated Skylark Ensemble, GRAMMY-nominated Handel + Haydn Society, GRAMMY-nominated Clarion Society Choir, Kuhmo Kamarimusiiki, Staunton Music Festival, Early Music New York, Blue Heron, Texas Early Music, Pomerium, and other ensembles, and is a founder and member of Chapter House, a duo exploring the connections between storytelling and music. He is also active as a researcher of early music ranging from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century, and has presented lectures of medieval and renaissance music at Vassar College and Case Western. Peter holds degrees from Vassar College and McGill University, where he studied with Drew Minter and Sanford Sylvan.
U.S Army Strings Staff
Co-Producers: MSG Robert Martin, SFC Lisa Park
Director of Marketing and Public Affairs: Ms. Jennifer Maly
Librarian: SFC Christina Wensel
Technical Support Group Leader: SGM Jon Seipp
Technical Director: SFC Matthias Bleicken
Stage Manager: SSG Kate Walsh
Lead Audio: SFC Alex Righter
Audio: SSG Alan Schmiedl
Video Lead: SFC Todd Gerlach
Video Support: MSG Clark McDaniel, SFC Todd Gerlach, SFC Cheryl Pirard, SSG Seara Marcsis
Scan the QR code to access program notes, additional content, performer bios, and photos.
