October 22, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Kevin James, a noted composer, performer, educator, writer and 1986 graduate of DePauw University, will return to his alma mater on Thursday, October 27, to present a lecture on his life in music. James will discuss "DePauw to New York City. Direct" at 6:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located within the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts. The program is free and open to all.
"Sometimes the shortest route between two points is a circuitous route," James explains. "I'll talk about the combination of skills, talents, well-planned steps, and random acts of fate that took me from Greencastle to New York, as well as the challenges, perks and daily realities of this life in the arts."
Kevin James' new commissions include a work for American Public Media's Radio Radiance series, to be premiered on a national broadcast of its popular Performance Today show. He has received awards and 
grants from the American Composers Forum, Jerome Foundation, NEA, Meet the Composer, New York State Council on the Arts, American Music Center and many others.
A noted arts educator, James' groundbreaking models for community engagement and out-of-school arts education on behalf of New York City’s most vulnerable children were developed during an eight year tenure as director of arts learning at the Police Athletic League. These models have had a dramatic impact on the lives of countless children and have influenced the work of dozens of organizations in New York City and beyond.
Founded in 1884, the DePauw University School of Music is one of the nation's oldest private institutions for post-secondary music instruction and the longest-running in Indiana. Learn more here.