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 West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

, 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 ...

. 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 (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

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 Vaudeville performers Pseudonyms 1896 births 1943 deaths 20th-century American women {{US-actor-stub