Aidan Christopher Mays is a renouned cellist, composer, and conductor based in Houston, Texas. 

Aidan grew up in a family of teachers and symphony musicians, studying music with his parents Dan and Krista Mays. He made his debut as a cellist in 2019 with the Fort Smith Symphony and has since recieved awards in events such as the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, the Charles R. Hall Young Artist Competition, and the OPYO Concerto Competition. Aidan Graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2025, where he studied with Cellist, Conductor, and Pedagogue David Watkin.

During his time at the Royal Conservatoire, Aidan founded and began directing the Institute for the Living Arts (formerly the Society for Creative Progress). In his role as Creative Direction, Aidan lead the ILA in hosting the premiere of contemporary works including those by R.C. Manglicmot, Sean Nelis, and himself. Aidan also led the ILA Symphony Orchestra in the premiere of his own Symphony Apocalypsis.

  Now living in Houston, Aidan has expanded the ILA to the United States and as part of his role as Director leads the "Living Music Consort" and "Living Music Youth Consort." He also regularly performs as a cellist in and around Houston, bringing early music and historically informed approaches alongside the contemporary and avant-garde to new, young audiences. Aidan's performance ethos centers around fluency and living approaches to music, including the performance of his own works for cello.