Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

and nationally. He won a

regional Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for the soundtrack he composed for the documentary series ''Minnesota: A History of the Land'' (2005).

Background and career

Born August 12, 1953, and of

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

where he first took up

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

at age three. He released numerous recordings and was a regular performer on the ''

'' radio program.

Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, mandolin

Ostroushko's first recording session was an uncredited mandolin player on Bob Dylan's ''

Blood on the Tracks ''Blood on the Tracks'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 20, 1975, by Columbia Records. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dy ...

''. He toured with

Robin and Linda Williams Robin and Linda Williams are a husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia. They met in South Carolina in 1971, and began performing in 1973. The Williamses appeared on Garrison Keillor's '' A Prairie Home Companion'' radi ...

, Norman Blake, and

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

. Ostroushko also worked with

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

Johnny Gimble John Paul Gimble (May 30, 1926 – May 9, 2015) was an American country musician associated with Western swing. Gimble was considered one of the most important fiddlers in the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 i ...

, Greg Brown, and

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

among many others.

Orchestral

Ostroushko performed with the

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

and the

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...

. Ostroushko's compositions have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the

Minnesota Sinfonia Minnesota Sinfonia is a professional non-profit orchestra in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1989 by artistic director Jay Fishman. The Minnesota Sinfonia is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization supported by corporate, foun ...

, the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony, and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra. Music from ''Heart of the Heartland'' was used by

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

for the PBS documentary '' Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery'', and his arrangement of "Sweet Betsy from Pike" was used in Burns's ''

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

''. He has also composed music for shows by

Circus Juventas Circus Juventas (formerly Circus of the Star) is a youth performing arts circus school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving youth throughout the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1994 by Dan and Be ...

, a

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

youth circus.

Television and radio

Ostroushko appeared on television on ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show t ...

'', ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'', and ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debut ...

'', as well as performing regularly on Garrison Keillor's ''

''.

Awards

Ostroushko received a regional

Emmy award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his soundtrack to the 2005 PBS series '' Minnesota: A History of the Land''.

Personal

Ostroushko was married to public radio producer Marge Ostroushko. They have one daughter, Anna. Ostroushko suffered a stroke in January 2018 and stopped performing. A GoFundMe page was set up to assist with medical bills. He died of heart failure on February 24, 2021 at the age of 67.

Discography

Adapted from Apple Music and AllMusic. *''

Sluz Duz Music ''Slüz Düz Music'' is the debut album by American multi-instrumentalist Peter Ostroushko, released in 1985. "Sluz Duz" is an Old World sound developed by Ostroushko that combines the dance music of the Ukraine and other European countries with ...

'' (1985)

Rounder Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy * ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...

*''

Down the Streets of My Old Neighborhood ''Down the Streets of My Old Neighborhood'' is an album by fiddle and mandolin player Peter Ostroushko, released in 1986. It is out of print, yet remains highly sought after amongst his fans, and is to this day his most celebrated release. Tra ...

'' (1986) Rounder *'' Peter Ostroushko Presents the Mando Boys'' (1986) Red House *''

Buddies of Swing ''Buddies of Swing'' is an album by fiddle and mandolin player Peter Ostroushko, released in 1987. Track listing # "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn) – 4:15 #"Indifference" (Joseph Colombo, Ton ...

'' (1987) Red House *'' Blue Mesa'' (1989) Red House *'' Duo'' (1991) Red House (with

Dean Magraw Dean Magraw is an American guitarist and composer. Biography Magraw was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in St. Paul. He began playing guitar at the age of 13. Magraw performed in a duo for many years with Peter Ostroushko and has also ...

) *'' Heart of the Heartland'' (1995) Red House *'' Pilgrims on the Heart Road'' (1997) Red House *''

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

'' (2000) Red House *'' Meeting on Southern Soil'' (2002) Red House (with Norman Blake) *'' Coming Down from Red Lodge'' (2003) Red House *'' Minnesota: A History of the Land'' (2005) Red House *''The Heartland Holiday Concert'' (2005) Red House *''

Postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

'' (2006) Red House *''The Mando Boys Live: Holstein Lust'' (2006) Borderland *'' Peter Joins the Circus'' (2008) *'' When the Last Morning Glory Blooms'' (2010) (Red House) *''The Mando Chronicles'' (2012) (Red House)

References

External links

Peter Ostroushko official site
* * * * Audio clip
Lafayette/ Turtle Dove
– Peter Ostroushko, Shoe Band, GK and Andra Suchy, 2/20/2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostroushko, Peter 1953 births 2021 deaths American fiddlers American mandolinists Ukrainian-Americans Musicians from Minneapolis 21st-century violinists Red House Records artists Rounder Records artists