1920s had numerous compositions published. From 1926 on, he taught the first conservatory level courses in bandura at the Kharkiv Music and Drama Institute. A new textbook for the bandura was partially published (the 3 final books were lost at the publishing house). A collection of his compositions for the bandura was prepared but was also lost by the publishing house. Only a handful of students completed these courses such as Leonid Haydamaka, O. Herashchenko, O. Hayevsky, I. Oleshko, and Hryhory Bazhul. Most were arrested in the early 1930s, however some found their way out to the West during World War II. In 1928, Khotkevych became the director of a special bandura studio, organized to retrain and convert the Poltava Bandurist Capella to play in the Kharkiv style. He composed and arranged numerous works for this ensemble. In 1931 the ensemble received the privilege of being the first Soviet ensemble to be invited to tour North America. Unfortunately, the tour did not take place and Khotkevych was removed from the directorship of the ensemble in 1932. All of his pieces and arrangements being subsequently banned. Apart from his musical performance and compositions, Khotkevych also produced a number of books on Ukrainian folk instruments, and the bandura specifically. These books were openly criticised in the Soviet press and also banned from 1932. Persecution As an ethnographer he saw the type of persecution that blind kobzars suffered from Tsarist police whenever they visited the city. He was persecuted by Tsarist authorities because of his association with Ukrainian culture and the bandura. He was removed from studies in 1899, and in 1905 was forced to emigrate. When he returned from Austria-Hungary he was followed by police and incarcerated, and with the outbreak of World War I was forced into internal exile to Russia. From 1928 Khotkevych again had difficulties in all his publishing endeavours. Initially, manuscripts began to disappear at publishing houses and in the mail. Works had to be submitted three or four times, and then they were often sabotaged in the publishing houses. Khotkevych wrote numerous letters to complain, but little was done. From 1931, he suffered numerous personal attacks in the Soviet press, which ultimately resulted in all his music and writing being banned in 1932 and him losing all employment. In 1933 his family starved during the Holodomor, as he was not given ration cards because he was officially