A few words on the music of "A Year in Lake Wobegon" CD set... Mandolinist/composer Peter Ostroushko––a frequent performer on A Prairie Home Companion and the show's musical director for several years––has entertained audiences the world over. He grew up listening to tunes played at family get-togethers in the Ukrainian community of northeast Minneapolis. It's this music that provides the basis for many of his compositions. His first recording session was an uncredited mandolin set on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Since then, his works have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra among others, and his music has been featured on public television specials such as Ken Burn's film The National Parks.
Peter's advice for young musicians:
"I always tell young musicians this great piece of wisdom. Dig up the yard and plant a garden. Vegetables, flowers, whatever gets your socks off. Getting your hands in the dirt will teach you all you need to know about being a musician. See it through––from the backbreaking work of tilling the soil until the fruits of your labor show themselves at the end of the growing season. The planting of the seed till the plant produces its bounty is watching God at his creative best. What inspiration! Plus, if you can't get any gigs, you won't starve."
Musical interludes are included between these fresh Lake Wobegon stories, and a full song rounds out each of the three discs included. A portion of each sale will go to Peter as he recovers from a debilitating stroke suffered in 2018. Full songs:
McCully's Waltz - The Whalebone Feathers - Heart of the Heartland
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