Alan-Arthur Aurelia began working for the Richmond County Orchestra (RCO) and Riverside Opera Company (ROC) in 2011 in administrative capacities. Growing from being a Double Bass player and Orchestral Librarian for both companies, he became the sole grant writer for both organizations. Alan-Arthur’s strengths in essay writing and knack for creating sensible budgets led both RCO and ROC to record awards by 2013.
Mr. Aurelia became certified by the Mayor’s Office of Contractual Services and pioneered the Richmond County Orchestra’s Side-By-Side Educational Outreach Program. This program employed multiple musicians from RCO’s roster to work with students after school for 2 hours, providing individualized instruction on their instruments. Beginning at Curtis High School, this program culminated in a performance under Alan-Arthur’s complete direction, in which the orchestra performed Mussorgsky/Ravel’s Pictures at an Exhibition with projections of paintings by recently deceased and living artists and photographers. The second half of the program featured the students and coaches performing on the stage at Snug Harbor Music Hall.
On the success of this program, Alan-Arthur marketed it to Stuyvesant High School, and the contract was secured, making him RCO’s Director of Educational Outreach since 2014. Mr. Aurelia has maintained these relationships and expanded them to a third school, Wagner Middle School, in 2020. Having been promoted to Assistant Executive Director in 2019, this expansion only made the RCO look great, given how many arts companies suffered during this time. Richmond County Orchestra was expanding.
In 2020, the Artistic Director promptly stepped down because of the pandemic, and Alan-Arthur immediately stepped up to become Artistic Director and guided Richmond County Orchestra with contemporary online programming that included a tribute to medical workers, Staten Island Has Talent 2020 that features local talent, and under Mr. Aurelia’s direction, RCO continued it’s annual Holiday Spectacular that included a pledge drive.
As one door closed with Wagner Middle School no longer able to participate in RCO’s Side-By-Side Educational Outreach Program, Alan-Arthur immediately connected with Staten Island Technical High School in 2023 and was promoted to Executive Director by the RCO’s Board of Directors in 2024.
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