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I am Professor Emeritus of Music at Northeastern Illinois University, in Chicago, Illinois. For many years, I was Director of Choral Activities at NEIU. During the academic years of 1999-2003, I was Technology Director of NEIU's Center for Teaching and Learning.
"Let Me Sing the Song of Songs" was featured in the 2004 European tour of the Park Ridge Community Church Choir. "Hearts in the Wood", a musical that I co-wrote with Joanne Koch, was given a staged reading this fall (2003) at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Michigan. I have composed several choral compositions including "Epiphany Carol," (Plymouth Publishing:1986), "By the Waters of Babylon" (Hope Publishing: 1987), and "We Give Thanks" (Mark Foster Publishing: 1988). Among my commissioned works are "Mass for the Poor," commissioned by the United Ministries of Indiana and "Psalm 117," commissioned by St. Mark Lutheran Church of Chicago. "By the Waters of Babylon" has been performed extensively throughout the country and was selected by the Carl Fischer Guide to Choral Music (1985-86) as a "recommended" title. The guide stated that "Psalm 137:1 is given a fresh interpretation by James Lucas. The harmonies are rich, plaintive, and flow with an expressive ease rarely captured in choral music."
I have done the computer engraving for music books and professional scores, and I am a consultant to many schools and musicians, both on the Internet and locally, in Chicago.