Peter Ostroushko | |
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Background information | |
Born | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | August 12, 1953
Died | February 24, 2021 | (aged 67)
Genres | Americana, folk |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Mandolin, guitar, fiddle |
Labels | Rounder, Red House |
Website |
peterostroushko |
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 and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and nationally. He won a regional Emmy Award for the soundtrack he composed for the documentary series Minnesota: A History of the Land (2005).
Born August 12, 1953, and of Ukrainian ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast Minneapolis where he first took up mandolin at age three. [1] [2] [3] He released numerous recordings and was a regular performer on the A Prairie Home Companion radio program. [1]
Ostroushko's first recording session was an uncredited mandolin player on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. [1] [4] [5] He toured with Robin and Linda Williams, Norman Blake, and Chet Atkins. [6] Ostroushko also worked with Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Johnny Gimble, Greg Brown, and John Hartford among many others. [1] [7] [8]
Ostroushko performed with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. [8] Ostroushko's compositions have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Sinfonia, the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony, and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra. [9] Music from Heart of the Heartland was used by Ken Burns 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. [1] He has also composed music for shows by Circus Juventas, a Saint Paul youth circus. [10]
Ostroushko appeared on television on Austin City Limits, Late Night with David Letterman, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, as well as performing regularly on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. [1]
Ostroushko received a regional Emmy award for his soundtrack to the 2005 PBS series Minnesota: A History of the Land. [1]
Ostroushko was married to public radio producer Marge Ostroushko. [1] They had one daughter together, Anna. [1]
Ostroushko suffered a stroke in January 2018 and stopped performing. A GoFundMe page was set up to assist with medical bills. [11] He died of heart failure on February 24, 2021, at the age of 67. [1]
Adapted from Apple Music [12] and AllMusic. [13]