“The tunes on Ostroushko’s tour de force are soundscapes in the truest sense… meditative, turbulent, funny, alternately harsh and serene… they unfold like the most leisurely symphony imaginable, indicating Ostroushko has forged a winning synthesis of folk and classical strains. His aim is to paint portraits of a land with a heart at its center, and he is uncannily on mystical target.” – Boston Globe
“Let’s start with the word ‘brilliant’ and move on from there… in addition to flatout mastery of his instruments, Ostroushko dazzles with his command of various musical genres.” -The Advocate |
| Peter Ostroushko has come to be regarded as one of the finest mandolin and fiddle players in acoustic music. His tours have taken him to the stages of clubs, performing arts centers, music festivals and theatres across North America and Europe, and he has earned an international reputation as a versatile and dazzling master of instrumentation and composition.
 His recording contributions stand favorably alongside great Nashville session men of his generation. He's played with Jethro Burns, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, Johnny Gimble. His hometown Minneapolis' music scene has provided a fabulous variety of musical styles in which Peter remains unequaled: folk with Greg Brown, John Hartford, Taj Mahal, Robin & Linda Williams, bluegrass with Norman and Nancy Blake, Tim O'Brien and Hot Rize, jazz, classical, and even rock. Peter's first recording session was an uncredited mandolin set on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks.
Where Peter is at his most passionate is when Peter plays Ostroushko - a rich ethnic mix at the heart of which is his Ukrainian heritage. His term for his gumbo of musical styles is "slüz düz,” a phrase borrowed from his mother meaning, roughly, "over the edge" or "off his rocker.” Indeed, Peter is something of a first-generation hero in the Ukrainian community of North America. To his surprise, one town even held a parade in his honor!
Not surprisingly, Peter's resume is dizzying in size and scope. He's played lead ukelele with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Neville Mariner. He's barked like a dog on The David Lettermen Show. He's appeared on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (whose other rare musical guests have included Wynton Marsalis and Yo-Yo Ma). He's composed and performed scores for a number of theatrical productions including The Children's Theater in Minneapolis (with whom he traveled to Edinburgh's famed Fringe Festival), the ACT Theatre, the public television special airing in 1993 of The Dakota Conflict, 2006 PBS documentary Minnesota: A History of the Land, and the theather production The Gales of November. He's appeared on radio and television music shows including Mountain Stage, Good Evening, Prairie Home Companion, Nashville Network, Lonesome Pine Special and Austin City Limits.
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