Григорий Пономаренко

Born February 2, 1921 in Morovsk, Chernigov (Chernihiv) region, Ukraine, in a peasant family.
Died January 7, 1996, in a car accident in the Krasnodar region, Russia.
Soviet composer, bayan player, chorusmaster.
Maxim Terentyevich (Gregory's uncle), an harmonizer and collector of folk instruments had a great influence on him.
From the age of six, the future composer played accordion at all village festivals.
He began his professional career in the ensemble of the border troops of the Ukrainian SSR, combining performances with studies at the Kiev Conservatory.
From 1941 to 1947, he was a musician in an ensemble of frontier troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.
In the years 1949-1950. he worked in the Nikolai Osipov Russian National Orchestra.
Since 1952 he was the musical director of the Volga Russian Choir.
In the years 1963-1973. he headed the folk choir of the Volgograd Tractor Plant.
Ponomarenko brought music to Viktor Bokov's poems "Оренбургский пуховый платок" (The Orenburg Downy Shawl, 1959), "Ой, снег-снежок" (Oh, snow-snowball, 1959), "Вьюга-вьюга" (Blizzard-blizzard, 1963), etc. They were first performed by the Orenburg Russian Folk Choir, with solo performance by Lyudmila Zykina.
He also wrote music for the films "Мачеха" (Stepmother) and "Безотцовщина" (Fatherless) and for dramatic performances.
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1960).
People's Artist of the RSFSR (1985).
People's Artist of the USSR (06.08.1990).
Member of the Great Patriotic War (World War II).