Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 21, 1992 TAG: 9202200058
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
ECLECTIC OSTROUSHKO TO PERFORM
Man, the man can play.Or as a music critic once said: "Peter Ostroushko can play anything! And usually does!"
Last year the acoustic musician played for a packed Hokie House in downtown Blacksburg. He's returning to the same place Sunday for another concert sponsored by the New River Valley Bluegrass Association. It starts at 7:30 p.m. in the upstairs room of the Hokie House Restaurant on North Main Street.
Guitar, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele - Ostroushko is the master of many. In addition to five albums of his own, he has recorded with more than 100 artists, including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Hartford and Taj Mahal.
Ostroushko is best known, however, for his work as a regular performer and musical director on National Public Radio's "Prairie Home Companion," during the 1980s.
Joining Ostroushko for Sunday's concert is his guitar playing partner, Dean Magraw. The duo's latest album, appropriately titled "Duo," grabbed the number three spot on Larry King's top 10 folk music picks for 1991.
Fortunately, Ostroushko's musical style is hard to label. He plays an original blend of old-world music derived from his Ukrainian roots with elements of jazz, bluegrass, swing and Celtic folk forms.
Advance discount tickets for Sunday's concert are $7 at Books Strings & Things and Mainstream Morrell Music and Books in Blacksburg. Tickets will be available at the door before the concert for $9.
There's more.
Up-and-coming Jon Benfield of Blacksburg is the opening act. Benfield, a member of the New River Valley Bluegrass Association and a favorite at local nightspots, sings and plays a variety of styles on acoustic guitar. Let him entertain you!
\ HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! Step right up for the greatest show on earth!
The Virginia Tech Union will continue its Broadway Series with "Barnum," the musical story of P.T. Barnum's rise to fame in the circus world. The show (an extravaganza, actually) is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Burruss Auditorium.
Jugglers, clowns, acrobats, even a marching band - they're all part of the blaze of color, music and dance in this show. It features the catchy tunes of Cy Coleman, including "If My Friends Could See Me Now," "Big Spender" and "Hey, Look Me Over."
Tickets for the performance are $16, adults; $8, children under 12; $13, Tech faculty and staff; or $4, Tech students. For ticket information, call the box office in Squires Student Center at 231-5615.
\ A MOVING EXPERIENCE: It's hard to sit still for a performance by The Alvin Ailey Repertory Company.
The critically acclaimed dance troupe will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Radford University's Preston Auditorium. The show is the highlight of Black History Month activities at the university.
Under the artistic direction of Sylvia Waters, the company speaks the language of the body through ballet and contemporary dance. As you'll see, these dancers are quite articulate.
Admission to the performance is $8 for adults, $4 for children and free for those with RU identification.
\ WOW! IT'S A POWWOW! Radford University's Native American Heritage Association is putting on its fifth annual Powwow this weekend. It gets under way tonight at 7:30 with the traditional tribal dancing in Peters Hall.
On Saturday, the festivities begin at 8 a.m. Trading posts will be set up in Peters Hall for sales of Native American crafts. A crafts contest is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Other events Saturday include ceremonial dances, a princess pageant and a sampling of Native American food at 5:30 p.m.
Flossie Martin Gallery will be open Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. for a special arts and crafts exhibit of items lent by Radford University staff and faculty members. The display includes a variety of jewelry, pottery, baskets and other artifacts.
Admission to the museum and Pow Wow is free. Because the event just gets bigger and better each year, organizers are expecting as many as 3,000 people to attend this weekend.
\ AREN'T WE LUCKY? Virginia Tech's own Joe Kennedy Jr. Quartet is performing at 8 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday in Squires Recital Salon.
The popular foursome features jazz violinist Joe Kennedy Jr., pianist Russell Wilson, bass player Clarence Seay and Alvester Garnett on percussion. Together, they play everything from Bach to Bop.
Luckily for us, the musicians are back in Blacksburg after recent engagements at the Smithsonian Institute where they played in a concert tribute to Duke Ellington and at the University of Georgia where they played for a memorial concert honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Tickets for this weekend's concerts are on sale today at the box office on the first floor of Squires Student Center. Adult admission is $5 and senior citizens' tickets are available for $3. Tickets also will be sold one hour before each performance.
To make reservations, call 231-5615.
\ LOVE AND MAGIC: These are the themes of "The Illusion," a Tony Kushner play now in production at Virginia Tech. Performances continue through Sunday in Squires Haymarket Theatre.
Adapted from Pierre Corneille's 17th century work, "L'Illusion Comique," the play deals with such timeless issues as parental love, romantic entanglements and deceptive memories.
In the play, a father sees and hears more about love than he ever intended when he learns the fate of a son he hasn't seen in 15 years. Through a series of magical illusions, the father follows his son from boyhood to manhood.
Virginia Tech graduate student Nancy Kiracofe is directing this production of "The Illusion." This is the first time it has been staged by a university theater.
Performances are at 8 each evening with matinees at 2 on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults or $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the box office in Squires Student Center.
For ticket information, call 231-5615.
Donna Alvis-Banks is an editorial assistant in the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley bureau.