Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer Nick Lowe has certainly left his stamp on popular music, starting with his stint with the pub-rock band Brinsley Schwarz - a strong influence on 1970s punk music - and during his years with Rockpile. His songs include "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," still an anti-war anthem after almost four decades. His latest album, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family, was released last year on Yep Roc Records.

Soprano Renee Fleming has charmed audiences worldwide with her vocal intelligence, exquisite musical grace, and voice of "liquid gold." She has hosted Live from Lincoln Center on PBS as well as the Metropolitan Opera's HD series for movie theaters and TV. And this month, she makes her Broadway debut in Living on Love at the Longacre Theatre. The most recent CD from this four-time Grammy winner is Christmas in New York, released last year on the Decca label.

Garrison Keillor was born in 1942 in Anoka, Minnesota. He went to work for Minnesota Public Radio in 1969, and on July 6, 1974, he hosted the first broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion in St. Paul. He is the host of The Writer's Almanac and the editor of the Good Poems series of anthologies from Viking.

Richard Dworsky Keyboardist, composer, and arranger Richard Dworsky is APHC's music director. He leads the band, composes themes, improvises script underscores, and collaborates with such diverse guests as Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, Brad Paisley, Kristin Chenoweth, and Sheryl Crow. He has released many recordings of original material and has provided music for documentaries on HBO and PBS. Jeff Carney Bassist Jeff Carney is always in demand - in Broadway orchestras, on jingles and film soundtracks, and as accompanist for jazz giants and popular music stars. A professor of double bass and electric bass at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he is also principal bassist with the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and more. Eugene Friesen It all started when Eugene Friesen's musician father encourage the 10-year-old to take up the cello. Fast-forward a few decades and now Friesen's career revolves around the instrument. He is a member of both the Paul Winter Consort and Trio Globo, and he's on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music. His solo recordings include 2010's Colorful Transitions (Fiddletalk Music). Richard Kriehn When Richard Kriehn turned 10, his mom bought him a mandolin; at 19, he'd won the Buck White International Mandolin Contest. He went on to play with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble and bluegrass group 1946. On the classical side, he has performed with numerous orchestras and was principal second violin for the Washington/Idaho Symphony.

Ray Marchica Mentions of drummer Ray Marchica are invariably peppered with words like "diverse," "versatile." and "respected." He has worked with everyone from Liza Minnelli to Little Richard; on Broadway, he's been the drummer for shows like Damn Yankees, A Chorus Line, and Mamma Mia. His albums are In the Ring and A Different View, both on the Sons of Sound label. Chris Siebold From bluegrass to big band jazz, Chris Siebold knows his way around a guitar - or bass or banjo or mandolin or a bunch of other instruments, for that matter. Based in Chicago, he draws from a deep well of influences and styles, and has put his talents to work in ensembles such as Howard Levy's Acoustic Express and Kick the Cat. In 2010, he formed the band Psycles, a large and extremely versatile group whose album Live at Martyrs' was released the following year.

One minute he's mild-mannered Tim Russell; the next he's George Bush or Julia Child or Barack Obama. We've yet to stump this man of many voices. Says fellow APHC actor Sue Scott, "He does a better Ira Glass than Ira Glass." A well-known Twin Cities radio personality and voice actor, Tim appeared in the Robert Altman film A Prairie Home Companion and the Coen brothers' A Serious Man. Tim has also been reviewing films professionally for over 10 years.

On APHC, Sue Scott plays everything from ditzy teenagers to Guy Noir stunners to leathery crones who've smoked one pack of Camel straights too many. The Tucson, Arizona, native is well known for her extensive commercial and voice-over work on radio and television, as well as stage and movie roles, including the part of "Donna" in Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion.

Sound effects man Fred Newman is an actor, writer, musician, and sound designer for film and TV. Turns out, no one is more surprised than Fred that he's made a career out of doing what he used to do behind the teacher's back -crossing his eyes, making sounds, and doing voices. He readily admits that, growing up, he was unceremoniously removed from several classrooms, "once by my bottom lip."