Alan-Arthur Aurelia

Alan-Arthur Aurelia has been in the music industry since childhood. His father was a professional Tuba player and became a conductor in 1996 when he founded the Riverside Opera Company, and later the Richmond County Orchestra. At home, he shadowed his father as he built these two companies. He began grant-writing for these organizations when he was 15 years old. He picked up the electric bass at 16 and the double bass at 18. After college, he decided to work with his father and expand his companies to offer educational programs in New York City Public Schools in parallel with a full concert season. 

He created "Popera," a production that combines opera and popular music, featuring audition-winning singers and a full orchestra. In 2008, he formed the band Not From Concentrate (NFC), which performs original music in the ska/punk style with a hint of grunge. Some of the highlights of NFC's career included a 50th Anniversary show celebrating the Summer of Love in 2017 and a Motown Celebration in 2018, where the band performed alongside the Richmond County Orchestra. NFC and the Richmond County Orchestra backed up Korean countertenor Sehun Jung for a show at Carnegie Hall in 2019. 

His achievements have earned two front-page features in the Staten Island Advance. In August 2020, Aurelia discussed the challenges of being a musician during COVID, and in 2023, he celebrated his enduring relationship with his FTM transgender spouse and bandmate. The article also highlighted their contributions to music, featuring photos of their band house, where they record original music and collaborate with other bands. 

He founded Charging Bull Records in 2023 to publish sound recordings of Not From Concentrate, the Riverside Opera Company, and the Richmond County Orchestra. In 2024, he joined the Recording Academy (NARAS).