Hryhorii Pavlovych Nazarenko (1902-1996) was a Ukrainian bandura player, one of the founders and a veteran of the Poltava Bandura Chapel. At different times, he was an artistic director, soloist and concertmaster of vocal and instrumental groups.
He was born in Poltava to an old Cossack family. He inherited his love for the bandura from his godfather, a bandura player. He attended school at the Assumption Cathedral, where he sang in the choir, and then graduated from the Poltava Music College. Later he sang in the National Choir, where he met his future colleagues - bandura players Yosyp Panasenko, Pavlo Minyaylo and Danylo Pika, who later also joined the Poltava Chapel under the direction of Volodymyr Kabachok. Hryhir was the youngest bandura player and tenor soloist of the chapel. He was a master of the Kharkiv method of playing the bandura and later wrote a textbook on playing the bandura using the same method. Nazarenko played in a local band from 1925 to 1934.
In 1935, he became a soloist and concertmaster of the State Model Chapel. He was the artistic director of the Taras Shevchenko Bandura Band from the first days of its foundation, and for several months before Hryhoriy Kitastyi's arrival, he was its artistic director. During the Second World War, the chapel moved to the Third Reich, where it continued its activities.
During his stay in West Germany during the "Diplo" period in the British occupation zone, he organised the M. Leontovych Bandura Bandura Choir. Hryhorii Pavlovych was a supporter of the classical performance of kobza repertoire without a conductor. The band managed to avoid repatriation, and before emigrating to the United States, Nazarenko rejoined the Shevchenko band. While living in Detroit, he was not always able to take part in the chapel's tours because of his main job. In 1955, he directed the SUMA Bandura Ensemble, which was later headed by Petro Potapenko. In the 1970s, he led the Prolisky children's ensemble. Due to his advanced age, he stopped performing in 1983.
In 1992, the Ukrainian community of Detroit celebrated his 90th birthday. Volodymyr Horbatiuk congratulated the hero of the day and presented him with three of his songs. At the same time, Hryhoriy Nazarenko was presented with a diploma from the Ukrainian government.
The students
Volodymyr Gavrylovych Lutsiv
