In 1935 he was enlisted into the newly formed combined Kiev Bandurist Capella where in time he became concertmaster.

In 1937 Nazarenko was slated to become artistic director of the chorus, but was sidestepped when the choice fell to Danylo Pika because of his membership in the Communist party.

Nazarenko was instrumental in setting up and establishing the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus in Kiev in 1942, and was its first artistic director.

During the War in Germany together with the Honcharenko brothers he established the Leontovych Bandurist Capella in the British zone of occupation.

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.