Minnesota’s Great Mandolin Master
AS POSTED YESTERDAY, MINNESOTA’S GREAT MANDOLIN MASTER and composer Peter Ostroushko has passed away. In June of 2019 a group of wonderful musicians donated their time and talents to a fund-raiser for Peter and Marge. At the end of the concert a number of folks took the stage to close out the evening with Peter’s exquisite “Heart Of The Heartland.” It was a wonderful evening and I remain deeply grateful to all who pitched in. Here is the closing song. From L to R–Dennis Warner on guitar, Bryan Wood on bass, Doug on mandolin, Dean Magraw on acoustic lead, Steve Borgstrom on main accompanying guitar, Paul Imholte on hammered dulcimer, and Cristina Seaborn on violin. Also appearing that night was beautiful vocalist Prudence Johnson. Guitarist Dean Magraw posted these lovely words yesterday…
“Yesterday our community and our universe lost an Artistic Genius and a beloved, uniquely human, spirit whose light bathed us all in a musical and personal overflow of Love, beauty, healing, and all the bitter sweetness of soulful existence… Our beloved brother, colleague, composer, teacher, friend, healer, community leader, genius Peter Ostroushko … has left his body.
His amazing Music and Love and Compassion live on in all of us…forever…
For me personally, I cannot forsee I will ever “recover” from this blow. But the Pete I know would probably tell us all to “soldier on” – keep loving each other, keep playing Music, keep reaching for the best and most beautiful in human expression, keep creating community. I can even hear him saying “I will be with you. I will do what I can from here to guide you into HARMONY with the light within you…” But I don’t speak for Pete.
Peter O speaks for Peter O. Just listen again and again to the music –what he composed and how played anything/everything- Petro Ostroushko even now speaks beyond eloquently in a Universal Language that transcends normal speech.
Let us all be truly grateful that we knew and still know such a Wonderful Man.”
(Thanks to Dale Neuschwander for the video. DW)