University to host noted author, musician James McBride

James McBride, an award-winning writer and composer, will present “James McBride and Friends in a Musical Conversation” to Ohio State and area high school students on Thursday (11/3) in the west ballroom of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. Hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience (UAFYE), McBride's performance will feature stories of redemption, forgiveness and identity in musical accompaniment with his jazz quartet.

McBride has written songs for artists Anita Baker, Grover Washington Jr., and Pura Fe,' the “Silver Burdett” music textbook series, and the PBS television show “Barney.” Ohio State will host approximately 400 Columbus Public Schools juniors in the 10 a.m. session. The program also will be held at 2 p.m. for Ohio State freshmen as part of the FYE First-Year Success series. The public is invited to the afternoon session. Seating is limited.

McBride also is a former staff writer for People Magazine and the Boston Globe and Washington Post. His critically acclaimed memoir, “The Color of Water,” is a tribute to his mother, a white Jewish woman from Poland who married a Black man and raised 12 children, all college graduates. He studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University in New York.
WHAT:James McBride visits Ohio State
WHEN:Thursday (11/3)
10 a.m. with Columbus Public Schools high school juniors
2 p.m. with Ohio State first-year students
WHERE:West ballroom of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.
WHY:To introduce students to the acclaimed work of author, musician James McBride