Clarinet player Gunnery Sergeant Alexander Bullard of Crestwood, Ken., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in June 2016.

Gunnery Sgt. Bullard began his musical training on clarinet at age 11. After graduating in 2011 from South Oldham High School in Crestwood, Ken., he attended DePaul University in Chicago where he earned a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance in 2015. His notable teachers include Stephen Williamson, principal clarinet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Julie DeRoche, Larry Combs, and Wagner Campos. In 2016 he completed a master’s degree in clarinet performance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he studied with Daniel Gilbert and Chad Burrow.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Bullard was a freelance musician in Detroit.

Gunnery Sgt. Bullard performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour.