Ivan Kuchuhura-Kucherenko

Ivan Kucherenko (or as he later became known, Kuchuhura-Kucherenko) was born on July 7, 1878, in the village of Murafa of Bogodukhovsky Uyezd in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire.

The performance at the conference was organized by Hnat Khotkevych who noticed that the kobzar was exceptionally gifted artistically, and during the preparation of the concert, spent a considerable amount of time with him.

Yavornytsky wrote: To me he was a costly diamond who would only show his colours after polishing by a master.He invited Kucherenko to his home and later sent him to Myrhorod to further master his bandura performance under the guidance of Opanas Slastion.

For three months Kucherenko lived and studied at Slastion's house, whereupon he returned to Yekaterinoslav and thanked the professor for his fatherly guardianship.

Yavornytsky organized a concert for the kobzar in Yekaterinoslav, which was a resounding success and helped elevate the popularity of Kucherenko as an exceptionally talented folk singer.

During the brief period of Ukrainian independence, Kucherenko toured Ukraine with concerts supporting the government of Symon Petliura whom he knew personally.

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.

All this, as with his level of intelligence, much of which he picked up in his associations with other intellectuals, we see in Kucherenko a new type of kobzar where the folk tradition intertwine with the newest cultural developments, no longer totally pure.