Captain Bonnie Alger is the Executive Officer of The United States Army Band, as well as Officer in Charge of The U.S. Army Strings, The U.S. Army Band Support Element, and the Band’s Operations and Training teams. A native of New Milford, Connecticut, she holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Maryland - College Park, a master’s degree in music education from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in conducting from the University of Northern Iowa, and a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University.

From 2022-26, CPT Alger was Officer in Charge of The U.S. Army Chorus, the first female director in the ensemble’s history. Alger led the Army Chorus in performances for two U.S. presidents, multiple heads of state, and senior military leaders at The White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, and the State Department. She prepared them for performances at the 2025 Governors’ Ball, PBS’s A Capitol Fourth, NATO’s 75th Anniversary Summit, and the Army’s 250th Birthday. She also led the Chorus in performances and educational outreach programs across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and the DC metro area. In addition to her work with the Army Chorus, CPT Alger has led multiple world premieres with The U.S. Army Concert Band, and numerous ceremonies in Arlington National Cemetery with The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band. She also led The U.S. Army Strings in their 75th Anniversary performances in DC, and The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets in the Army Band’s 2023 American Holiday Festival.

She previously served as Associate Bandmaster at The United States Army Band at Fort Myer, Virginia, and as Executive Officer for the 1st Cavalry Division Band at Fort Hood, Texas. She has also conducted The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band.

Prior to joining the Army, Alger maintained an active schedule as a freelance conductor, singer, violinist, clinician, educator, and arts administrator throughout the DC metro area, the Midwest, and Los Angeles. She spent two years as the Director of Choral Activities at GEMS American Academy (GAA) in Abu Dhabi, where her students represented GAA at an international honor choir festival in Stavanger, Norway, and collaborated with Philadelphia-based Orchestra 2001 and the late legendary recording artist Quincy Jones. She has conducted the International Pride Orchestra as part of World Pride 2025, worked as both a cover conductor and music librarian for the National Symphony Orchestra, adjudicated for the Association of Music in International Schools, and served as a clinician for universities and high schools across the United States. She has also presented at conferences for the College Band Directors’ National Association and the American Choral Directors’ Association.

Originally from Dublin, Ohio, SSG Allison Smith joined The U.S. Army Strings in the fall of 2025 after completing one year as a violin fellow at the New World Symphony. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of Paul Kantor. She has served as Concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and New World Symphony, as well as Principal Second at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany under the baton of Andris Nelsons for the inaugural Shostakovich Festival. She has also performed with the Houston, Atlanta, and Fort Worth Symphonies.
Passionate about chamber music and connecting with her community, she received funding from New World Symphony to create a performance titled Chocolate and Chamber Music, featuring works by living female composers paired with flavors of chocolate from a Miami-based chocolate shop. While studying at Rice University, she received the Sviatoslav Richter Fund Grant for Music Outreach which she used to perform concerts at Houston senior living facilities. She enjoys teaching young musicians and sharing her love of chamber music with students.
She has spent summers as a fellow at Tanglewood, Sarasota, Lancaster, Aspen, and Madeline Island music festivals and has performed alongside esteemed musicians such as Laufey, Caroline Shaw, Gabriel Kahane, and James Dunham. Outside of music, she enjoys lifting, running, reading, cooking, and exploring DC with her husband Nic.