B.M., M.F.A. Candidate at University of Connecticut. Studied at Hartt School of Music. Conducted University of Connecticut Orchestra, New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, Centre Symphony, Kingsborough Band, Brooklyn Winds Ensemble. Founder and member of Riverside Brass Quintet, founder and conductor of Riverside Opera and Staten Island Ballet Orchestra, director of Music on the Move. Performed with Stuttgart Ballet and at Spoleto Festival, Italy. Played for Queen Mother and Pope John Paul II. Faculty member at Wagner College and Brooklyn College. Instructor at City Music School. Music Director of Richmond County Orchestra.

Maestro Aurelia is also a very skilled and experienced teacher. He plays many instruments and works very well with students of all ages.

Yelena Polyachenko holds a MM degree from R. M. Glier State Musical Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine.

Since then, Yelena has taught at music schools preparing students for recitals and competitions. She teaches piano for children as young as age four to adult students. With young beginners, Yelena has created a method for making music fun and tailors it to each child’s personality. This encompasses teaching piano to children with special needs.

She has also taught at an elementary school where she produced musical shows including The Wizard of Oz, The Snow Queen, Matilda, Summer Fairies, and Octave.

She also intensively teaches music theory, ear training and solfeggio. Yelena is also a very experienced accompanist and soloist. Recently she has been participating in maestro Alan Aurelia’s productions as an accompanist to opera singers.

Valeda Zaage-Bell received her Bachelor of Music Degree from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She attended Manhattan School of Music, Temple University, Brooklyn College and Hunter College for graduate work. She studied piano with Charles Fischer and orchestral and choral conducting with Elizabeth A.H. Green and John Sinclair. On July 29, 2009 she conducted a 120 voice choir and a 30 piece orchestra for a performance at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. Recently Valeda recorded a CD of 20th century piano music for Patrice Editions. Valeda has taught music classes at Curtis High School, New Dorp High School, Port Richmond High School and Wagner High School. She was the music director for local productions of “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Marat/Sade,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” In 2005 she performed an original art song she composed for the New Music Collective at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She has been the organist, pianist and choir director for the Vanderbilt Moravian Church for the past 23 years. Last year, in 2010, Ms. Zaage-Bell composed seven “Haiku” for piano and debuted them at the SICOM faculty recital. Valeda actively plays with chamber groups as well. She plays trombone with the Conservatory Jazz Band. She is also the artistic director of a local recorder ensemble.

Gregory Envid, pianist, choral conductor and choral singer, received his BA in music from the College of Staten Island, where he studied with the esteemed Sylvia Kahan.
He completed graduate work in music at Hunter College before attaining his Master’s in education from Cambridge University.

Mr. Envid taught music at Curtis High School, Staten Island, New York City, from 1999-2001. There, he initiated events such as
• A Choral performance on an active battleship during fleet week
• Hosted the visit of Martin Josmann and The National Choral
• Directed and conducted a full scale performance of the musical “Bye, Bye, Birdie”

From 2001-2008, Mr. Envid taught music at Abraham Lincoln High School.

Mr. Envid has studied conducting with Marina Alexander and sings bass in the Richmond Choral Society under her direction.

Marina Kasparova holds Bachelor and Masters’ Degrees from the National Music Academy of Ukraine.

She placed second in the international “Wings of Music” competition in Kiev in 2011, and third place (duet) the same year in the all-Ukrainian competition “Spiritual Sources.”

Ms. Kasparova’s 2018 performance include A Night of Enchantment, An Afternoon of Enchantment and The Magic Flute, operas at the National Opera Center (New York City,) the “Musical Potpourri Concert” at Lincoln Center, NYC, and “Love, Passion, Betrayal Concert” at Carnegie Hall (NYC.)

She has attended Master Classes with Cleanthe Russo (Italy), conductor, Richard Cordova (NYC) pianist, vocal coach, Peter Randsman of Randsman Artist Management (NYC,) and Zehava Gal (NYC & Tel Aviv, Israel.)

Ms. Kasparova previously taught voice and piano at the Orlando school of music (Orlando, FL) before a recent move to New York City.