to continue it. He resumed his concertizing where he remained a master performer. Kucherenko was a virtuoso player of the bandura and had an exceptional baritone voice which left an excellent impression on the audience. Khotkevych noted: In 1913, Kucherenko traveled to Saint Petersburg on the invitation of T. Pryvalov, on the recommendation of Hnat Khotkevych where he had over 40 concerts, mainly at educational establishments. After Saint Petersburg, Kucherenko was invited to Moscow by the "Kobzar" Society where he also performed at ethnographic concerts and evenings organized by the society. In 1915, Kucherenko gave a highly successful concert at the Kharkiv Public Library. During the brief period of Ukrainian independence, Kucherenko toured Ukraine with concerts supporting the government of Symon Petliura whom he knew personally. For his activity in supporting the government he was awarded the title "People's Artist of Ukraine" by the then Ukrainian government. Soviet period During the Soviet period, Kucherenko was able to perform even more often. Initially the government supported many of these performances. In 1921, in the city of Bohodukhiv, a special concert was organized to celebrate his 25th anniversary of being a kobzar and he was one of the first artists to receive the prestigious title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1926. After 1928 Kucherenko began to perform on the grave mound monument of Taras Shevchenko in Kaniv. In the 1930s it is known that he secretly became ordained as an orthodox priest in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Until recently Kucherenko's true date of death was not officially known. Soviet sources such as the Soviet Encyclopedia stated that he died in 1943 in Kharkiv during the German occupation. Recently, it has become known that Kucherenko was arrested and after a period of eight months of prolonged torture was finally shot by the NKVD in 1937. His body was buried in a mass grave on the territory of the KGB recreational facility in the area of Piatykhatky on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Repertoire Kucherenko's repertoire included six dumy (sung epic poems): Oleksiy Popovych (probably from Khotkevych) About the Poor Widow and her three sons Captives lament (from Slastion) Khmelnytsky and Barabash (from literary sources) The death of Bohdan Khmelnytsky (from literary sources) The death of the kozak-bandurist. (from Khotkevych) Many of the texts of these dumy he learned from books, and the accompaniment he composed himself or sometimes