Venice Musicale performers are accomplished musicians with a wide variety of backgrounds and performing experiences. Some are professional musicians who have had careers as music teachers and performers in concert venues, musical theater, opera, bands or orchestras, or religious institutions. Others are talented amateurs whose performance experience has been an avocation.
Whether a vocalist or an instrumentalist, professional or amateur, what they all have in common is a love of music, joy in entertaining, and dedication to the Venice Musicale mission of presenting free quality music to the public and supporting our Scholarship Program for the next generation of musicians.
Monthly Concert Performers
Every month between October and April, Venice Musicale hosts a free performance that consists of soloists and small ensembles. A wide variety of music is performed, from Jazz and Broadway to Folk and Classical. Members of Venice Musicale who perform work with the Program Chair for each concert to put together a rich, fun-filled program.
To learn more about opportunities for performance, contact or become a member of Venice Musicale.
Encore Chorus
Encore Chorus is Venice Musicale's highly popular singing group known for entertaining area businesses, organizations, clubs, church groups, retirement centers, and neighborhood associations. Encore also performs two of the free monthly concerts with their annual Winter Holiday and Spring Concerts. Performers in Encore are all Venice Musicale members. If you are interested in joining the Chorus and would like more information, email or become a member.
You can book an Encore Chorus performance in your private venue. All funds raised by Encore are for the benefit of the Venice Musicale Scholarship Program.
Encore Chorus Directors
Caryn Johnson, Artistic Director
Caryn grew up in a musical family in Cincinnati, Ohio, performing vocal solos throughout her school years. She has a B.A. in theatre from Miami University (Oxford, OH), and an M.A. in music ministry from Cincinnati Bible Seminary. She sang for 17 years in the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus. Since retiring to Venice with her husband, Paul, in 2015, Caryn has sung with Choral Artists of Sarasota and Key Chorale. She currently sings in the choir at Christ United Methodist Church and performs with the Silver Foxes at the Venice Theatre.
Betsy Bullis, Co-Director
Betsy holds a Bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Evansville, IN. She taught high school choir for five years. After moving back to her hometown of Indianapolis, she worked in the retail print music industry for 36 years while teaching voice and piano in her home. She spent her free time performing in local community theatres around Indy and is enjoying the opportunity to sing with Encore Chorus and in Venice Musicale monthly concerts.
Suncoast Duo Pianists
Suncoast Duo Pianists began in 1992 as an ensemble of retired performers and teachers who gave concerts to a private audience in the home of its founder, David Nascimbeni. In 2018 Suncoast Duo Pianists became an affiliate ensemble of Venice Musicale. Current performers in Suncoast Duo Pianists are Betty Badawi, Nancy Barusso, Sybil Broh, Mary Egbertson, Mila Liss, Ann Owens, and Cynthia Schein.
Concerts are given at the Community Room of the Venice Public Library as well as other venues. Suncoast Duo Pianists are available to perform at private venues, organizational events, and residential communities in the Venice area during the months of November through April. Proceeds go to Venice Musicale’s Scholarship Fund. Book a concert today!
Current Performers
Front: Sybil Broh, Nancy Barusso
Back: Mary Egbertson, Ann Owens, Betty Badawi, Mila Liss. Missing; Cynthia ScheinELIZABETH "BETTY" BADAWI received her Bachelor of Music Education from Northwestern University and taught in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and Pullman, Washington, until 1960. For the next 35 years she followed her husband's international career, living in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Italy. During that time she taught music, directed choirs, performed as pianist and vocal soloist, and directed community musicals. The Badawis moved to Venice in 2004.
NANCY BARUSSO - has had a lifelong interest in music and studied piano, oboe and organ. She graduated from Knox College, majoring in French, but was very active in the local symphony and many chamber groups. Later she earned an MBA at SUNY-Binghamton and worked as an actuarial analyst in Washington, DC. Living in Washington provided countless opportunities for performing with orchestras and chamber groups on oboe and monthly gatherings to play piano solos. Now she spends many pleasurable hours playing piano duets and is a member of Venice Piano Friends and one of our newest members of Suncoast Duo Pianists.
SYBIL BROH received both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from Northwestern University and was Music Coordinator in the Franklin Park, Illinois, public school system. After moving to Sarasota in 1999, she worked as both a choral and solo accompanist and performed piano solos and duets in concert.
MARY EGBERTSON received a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts/Music from the State University of New York and a Master's Degree of Music Education from the Ford School of Music, Ithaca College. She has held positions as church choir and worship director, taught music in public schools, and maintained a private piano studio for more than 35 years. She has performed as a piano soloist as well as accompanist for choral ensembles. Mary currently sings with and is piano accompanist for Encore Chorus and is immediate past President of Venice Musicale.
MILA LISS - was born in Ukraine and completed her music education at Kiev Conservatory. For 20 years she taught music history and harmony classes at music college in her native city, Dnipro. She also had an extensive private piano studio. After her immigration to America, Mila settled down with her family in Baltimore and continued her career as a music teacher. Five years ago, Mila moved to Venice where she continues performing and teaching piano. Mila is the newest member of the Suncoast Duo Pianists ensemble.
ANN RUSSELL OWENS - Ann holds a BS in music education from the University of Tennessee and a M.A. in musicology from Ohio State University. She taught classroom music in primary schools and choral music in high schools. She also taught music appreciation and class piano lessons at the college level. She established a music conservatory where she taught private and class piano lessons for 20 years, before turning to a second career in law. Ann earned two law degrees, a J. D. from Villanova University and an L.L.M. (graduate degree in tax law) from Boston University. She worked as a corporate tax attorney for 23 years before retiring to Sarasota, when she was able to return to playing the piano. In addition to the pleasure of playing with Venice Musicale's Duo Pianists, she currently studies with a master teacher, participates in several music groups, and enjoys the many concerts that the Sarasota area offers.
CYNTHIA "CINNY" SCHEIN started piano lessons at the age of five. As a teenager, she was pianist with a youth symphony in Westport Connecticut, and was active as a pianist at her high school. She received a BA in Music from Hood College and studied piano at Penn State University and in The Netherlands. She was Co-Founder and Director of The Music Academy, a community music school founded in 1963 in State College, PA. She accompanied vocalists in the Department of Music and taught in the department of Continuing Education at Penn State. She performed as accompanist, chamber player, and pianist with the Nittany Valley Symphony in Pennsylvania. Since moving to Florida, Cinny has been playing with Suncoast Duo Pianists as well as individually on programs with Venice Musicale, and as pianist with Strings Con Brio in Sarasota.
