Rossini Waugh Stewart Vrionides (June 25, 1896 – November 25, 1943) was an American actress, composer, organist and violinist. She performed in vaudeville and on stage under the name "Gypsy Rossini." Rossini was born in

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the metropolitan borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It had a population of 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham and southeas ...

, Indiana, to James and Eva (Overman) Waugh. She was playing the lead in the play "Running for Governor" at McVickers Theatre in Chicago when she met

Cal Stewart Cal Stewart (b. 1856 Charlotte County, Virginia, d. December 7, 1919) was an American comedian and humorist who pioneered in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for his comic monologues in which he played "Uncle Josh W ...

. They married in New York on July 6, 1914. Rossini and her brother and sister toured and appeared in vaudeville with Stewart. Rossini played the role of Aunt Nancy in his popular "Uncle Josh" shows. She also played violin as Gypsy Rossini, accompanied by her sister Marjorie on piano. Stewart died in 1919. Rossini continued performing and gave organ and violin lessons. She taught violin at St. Joseph's Academy in Tipton for several years, before marrying conductor Christos Vrionides on April 19, 1933. Vrionides and Rossini composed ''A Cycle of Whitman Poems'' for mixed chorus and soloists in 1940, based on text by

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

and published by M. Baron. The best known pieces in the cycle are ''Out of the Rolling Ocean the Crowd'' and ''Washington's Monument''.

References

American women classical composers American classical composers American vaudeville performers Pseudonyms 1896 births 1943 deaths 20th-century American women {{US-theat-actor-1890s-stub