Trumpet and Cornet Player Gunnery Sergeant Robert Bonner of Payne Springs, Texas, joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in October 2015.

Gunnery Sgt. Bonner began his musical instruction on trumpet at age 11. After graduating in 2006 from Eustace High School in Eustace, Texas, he earned his bachelor of music degree in music education from Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock in 2010. He earned a master’s degree in music performance in 2014 from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. His notable teachers are Justin Bartels of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Ray Mase of the Aspen Music Festival, Jeffrey Meyer, and Max Matzen.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Bonner performed with the Colorado and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestras, the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute Orchestra in College Park, Md.

Gunnery Sgt. Bonner performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour. In addition to his musical duties, he also serves as the band’s Antiterrorism Officer.