A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

Mark Benninghofen

Mark Benninghofen got into the ad biz by way of acting. After joining the Guthrie Theater company in the 1980s, this voice-over artist and president of Shout Radio Productions — a Minneapolis agency specializing in radio advertising and more — branched out as a writer and producer of commercials. Look familiar? You may have caught him on TV shows like Frasier, Chicago Hope, and The Larry Sanders Show.

Peter Ostroushko

Mandolinist Peter Ostroushko grew up listening to tunes played at family get-togethers in the Ukrainian community of northeast Minneapolis. It's the 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. Peter's recent CDs include Postcards: Travels with a Great American Radio Show (Red House) and Peter Joins the Circus (Borderland), a collection of Peter's original and arranged music for Circus Juventas, a circus arts school in St. Paul, Minnesota.

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers with Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director

Most kids badger their parents for the latest games and toys. Not Philip Brunelle. When he was six, he wanted the vocal score to Handel's "Messiah." Now an internationally renowned conductor, choral scholar and performer, he is the founder and artistic director of the acclaimed VocalEssence Ensemble Singers — core of the full VocalEssence Chorus, 130 voices in all. The Minneapolis-based group has received the ASCAP/ Chorus America Award for adventurous programming of contemporary music an unprecedented five times, and was awarded the Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence. They just returned from a tour of England, part of the celebration of their 40th season. The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass (Clarion) is among their recent recordings.

Andra Suchy

Andra Suchy spent her childhood on a farm near Mandan, North Dakota, the daughter of two talented singers. By the time she was in grade school, she was traveling around, doing concerts and festivals with her family. These days, she sings with several groups in the Twin Cities area —' including the all-girl trio The Dollys. She also works as a back-up singer and as a jingle singer on commercials for White Castle, Target, and more. Andra's solo CD is called Patchwork Story.

Guy's All-Star Shoe Band

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band is led by A Prairie Home Companion music director Richard Dworsky. A masterful keyboard player, composer and improviser in any style, he writes all the script themes and underscores, and he has accompanied guests from James Taylor to Renée Fleming. His latest CD is So Near and Dear to Me.

Chet Atkins called Pat Donohue (guitar) one of the greatest finger pickers in the world today. And he writes songs too — recorded by Suzy Bogguss, Kenny Rogers and others. Freewayman (Bluesky Records) is the most recent of Pat's nine albums.

Gary Raynor (bass) has performed with the Count Basie band, Sammy Davis Jr. — with whom he toured for several years — and the Minnesota Klezmer Band. He teaches jazz bass at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul.

Peter Johnson (percussion) has played klezmer music with Doc Severinsen and jazz with Dave Brubeck. He was a drummer for The Manhattan Transfer and for Gene Pitney. He has toured the world, but he always comes back to home base: Saint Paul.

When a very young Marc Anderson (percussion) saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, the die was cast. He started taking drum lessons, and before long he had his first band. Over the years, he has studied drumming styles from the far corners of the globe. In addition to performing, he is an adjunct professor in Hamline University's Anthropology Department.