Violist Staff Sergeant Rachel Halvorson of San Antonio, Texas, joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra in December 2024.
Staff Sgt. Halvorson began her musical instruction on piano at age 6 and viola at age 10. After graduating from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio in 2012, she attended Oberlin University in Oberlin, Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 2016 and studied with Peter Slowik. She then completed her master’s degree in music at Rice University in 2019, where she studied with Ivo Jan van Der Werff.
Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” she served as principal viola for the Sarasota Orchestra.
Staff Sgt. Halvorson performs regularly at the White House for State Dinners, receptions, and other White House functions, and throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.