Hryhory Nazarenko

Hryhory Pavlovych Nazarenko (13 October 1902 Poltava, Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire, present-day Ukraine – 1997 Detroit, United States) was a bandura player.

Hryhory Nazarenko was one of the founding members of the Poltava Bandurist Capella which was established in Poltava in 1925. He had a brilliant first tenor voice and soon became one of the prominent soloist of the ensemble.

In 1935 he was enlisted into the newly formed combined

Danylo Pika

because of his membership in the Communist party.

Nazarenko was instrumental in setting up and establishing the

Kiev in 1942, and was its first artistic director. Under his directorship the chorus gave a number of concerts: "The Live words of Taras Shevchenko" in Kiev, Volyn' and in outlying areas before the directorship was assumed by Hryhory Kytasty

.

During the War in Germany together with the

Leontovych Bandurist Capella

in the British zone of occupation.

In the United States he continued for a brief time to be a member of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.

Nazarenko died in Detroit in 1997.

His repertoire included numerous dumy (sung epic poems) which he learned from Hnat Khotkevych, such the duma about the Kozak-bandurist and Storm on the Black Sea.

Students

Volodymyr Luciv

Sources

Makhynia, H. - Hryhoriy Pavlovych Nazarenko - Bandura, #43-44, 1993