Peter Ostroushko

Peter Ostroushko
Born	Minneapolis
Nationality	United States of America
Genres	Americana
Instruments	mandolin · fiddle

Peter Ostroushko
Peter Ostroushko playing mandolin in 2014
Background information
Born	(1953-08-12)August 12, 1953 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	February 24, 2021(2021-02-24) (aged 67)
Genres	Americana, folk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Mandolin, guitar, fiddle
Labels	Rounder, Red House
Website	peterostroushko.com

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).

Background and career

Born August 12, 1953, and of Ukrainian ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast Minneapolis where he first took up mandolin at age three. He released numerous recordings and was a regular performer on the A Prairie Home Companion radio program. 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. 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.

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. He died of heart failure on February 24, 2021 at the age of 67. and AllMusic.

• Sluz Duz Music (1985) Rounder
• Down the Streets of My Old Neighborhood (1986) Rounder
• Peter Ostroushko Presents the Mando Boys (1986) Red House
• Buddies of Swing (1987) Red House
• Blue Mesa (1989) Red House
• Duo (1991) Red House (with Dean Magraw)
• Heart of the Heartland (1995) Red House
• Pilgrims on the Heart Road (1997) Red House
• Sacred Heart (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 (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)