Peter Ostroushko

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American violinist and mandolinist (1953–2021)

title: "Peter Ostroushko" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1953-births", "2021-deaths", "20th-century-american-fiddlers", "21st-century-american-fiddlers", "american-mandolinists", "american-people-of-ukrainian-descent", "musicians-from-minneapolis", "red-house-records-artists", "rounder-records-artists"] description: "American violinist and mandolinist (1953–2021)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ostroushko" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American violinist and mandolinist (1953–2021) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]

FieldValue
namePeter Ostroushko
imagePeterOstroushko.jpg
captionPeter Ostroushko playing mandolin in 2014
backgroundnon_vocal_instrumentalist
birth_date
death_date
birth_placeMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
genreAmericana, folk
occupationMusician
instrumentMandolin, guitar, fiddle
labelRounder, Red House
associated_actsGarrison Keillor, The Guys All-Star Shoe Band, Robin and Linda Williams, Dean Magraw
website
::

| name = Peter Ostroushko | image = PeterOstroushko.jpg | caption =Peter Ostroushko playing mandolin in 2014 | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = | birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place =Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | genre = Americana, folk | occupation = Musician | instrument = Mandolin, guitar, fiddle | years_active = | label = Rounder, Red House | associated_acts = Garrison Keillor, The Guys All-Star Shoe Band, Robin and Linda Williams, Dean Magraw | website =

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).

Early life

Born 12 August, 1953, and of Ukrainian ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast Minneapolis where he first took up mandolin at age three. His father, William (Wasyl) Ostroushko, was a World War II veteran who had fought in the Soviet Army against Germany, and was wounded and captured during the Battle of Stalingrad. Before emigrating to the United States, he also lived in Vienna, Austria. He was a shoemaker in northeast Minneapolis for many years, and after retirement, played guitar in a Ukrainian polka band called Charivnyky (The Enchanters).

At age 12, Peter started a band with his brother Juryj, three years his senior. Juryj (Americanized as "George") would later become a graphic designer who created many album covers, and was the first in-house designer at Red House Records. He had two other siblings: His sister Ludmilla and brother Taras. Taras, also a musician, played in indie-rock and punk bands, most notably Henry, in the Minneapolis underground-rock scene of the 1980s and 1990s.

Career

Ostroushko released numerous recordings and was a regular performer on the A Prairie Home Companion radio program.

Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, mandolin

Ostroushko's first recording session was as an uncredited mandolin player on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. He had been sick with pneumonia for a week when he was called to join the recording session, but got out of bed and hurried down to play, performing mandolin on "If You See Her, Say Hello." He later said that he had been so sick that he could not be sure that the entire experience hadn't been a hallucination.

He toured with Robin and Linda Williams, Norman Blake, and Chet Atkins. Ostroushko also worked with Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Johnny Gimble, Greg Brown, and John Hartford among many others.

Orchestral

Ostroushko performed with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. 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. 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. He has also composed music for shows by Circus Juventas, a Saint Paul youth circus.

Television and radio

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.

Awards

Ostroushko received a regional Emmy award for his soundtrack to the 2005 PBS series Minnesota: A History of the Land.

Personal life

Ostroushko was married to public radio producer Marge Ostroushko. They had one daughter together, 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.

References

References

  1. (February 25, 2021). "Peter Ostroushko, virtuoso musician with everyone from Bob Dylan to Minnesota Orchestra, dies". [[Star Tribune]].
  2. (November 21, 2019). "Minnesotans with Ukrainian ties dismayed by hearings". [[MPR News]].
  3. (December 16, 2013). "Mandolin Cafe 2013 In Review".
  4. (1991-12-21). "William Ostroushko, {{sic". [[Star Tribune]].
  5. Peterson, Christian A.. (2021-03-09). "Cosmic Trip: Rock Concerts at the Minneapolis Labor Temple 1969-70". Smart Set.
  6. Raihala, Ross. (2021-02-25). "‘Prairie Home’ veteran, Bob Dylan sideman and multi-talented mandolinist Peter Ostroushko dies at 67". Pioneer Press.
  7. "IUMA: Henry".
  8. [http://www.bjorner.com/DSN02710%201974%20Blood%20On%20The%20Tracks%20recording%20sessions.htm Blood on the Tracks recording sessions.]
  9. (2004). "A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks". Da Capo Press.
  10. (June 10, 2008). "A conversation with mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko".
  11. (September 26, 2006). "Simple twist of fate". [[The Free Press (Mankato).
  12. (July 16, 2018). "Benefit is planned for ailing Peter Ostroushko, one of Minnesota's finest musicians". [[Star Tribune]].
  13. (May 4, 2006). "Radio, TV performer playing in concert at SCC". [[The Spokesman-Review]].
  14. (July 29, 2011). "Under the magic big top, it's possible to be Grimm and happy at the same time". [[St. Paul Pioneer Press]].
  15. (July 24, 2018). "Ailing Mpls. musician Peter Ostroushko inspires supporters at fundraiser". [[Star Tribune]].
  16. "Peter Ostroushko – Albums". [[Apple Music]].
  17. "Peter Ostroushko".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1953-births2021-deaths20th-century-american-fiddlers21st-century-american-fiddlersamerican-mandolinistsamerican-people-of-ukrainian-descentmusicians-from-minneapolisred-house-records-artistsrounder-records-artists