ABOUT
ENCORE CONNECTS
Encore Connects is a group of kind-hearted, music-minded individuals who produce live acoustic performances infused with humor to create personal connection through music and laughter.
Our Team
Chris Leone
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Chris Leone began his musical career in the early 2000's in San Francisco, where he developed the original concept for The Smallest Show in Town, the flagship program of Encore Connects. In the ensuing years, as he travelled around the country playing for older adults, he refined his performing style to more effectively engage and involve audiences through music and laughter. His vision for a more expansive initiative to help our most isolated populations became Encore Connects, which now offers a wide array of programming designed to reach those most in need of connection.
Carmen Leone
Carmen J. Leone is the founder of Encore Connects’ house band, the Spurs of the Moment.
His many roles with the organization include advisor, musician, writer, and poet. He is a father (and father figure) to many, grandfather to quite a few, and great grandfather to a couple handfuls. A retired English professor, he spends much of his time playing guitar and ukulele, writing poetry, cartooning, and cracking jokes with his sons and fellow performers on stage. He is the published author of four nonfiction books and two poetry collections.
Events Gallery
