At St. James', we offer musical excellence in the heart of Upper
Montclair. The purpose of the concert series is twofold: to provide an
outlet for outstanding musicians of the highest level to perform and to
expose audiences to a variety of musical treasures available in town.
The concert series seeks to reach out to the larger Essex county
community and raise awareness of the arts. Concerts within the Music at St. James series are free of charge however we do take a free-will offering to help defer the cost of the performers and to raise funds for the organ restoration.
Martha Reed Boughner
has been involved with music since her first clarinet lesson in 4th
grade. After teaching for 30 years with the Music For America and Future
Musicians, Inc. programs in the parochial schools of New Jersey, she now owns
her own business, Genesis Music Program, teaching in six local Catholic
schools. She appeared as clarinet soloist with the Lansdowne Symphony and
Lukens Steel Band in Pennsylvania, and the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra in
New Jersey. Her performing groups have included the above organizations, as
well as the Plainfield Symphony, Summit Symphony, the Garden State Concert
Band, Hanover Wind Symphony, New Jersey Workshop in the Arts Concert Band, and the Bloomfield
Civic Band. She plays currently with the Silver Starlite Orchestra, a 40’s
–style big band, and subs with several of the above-mentioned groups.
Ms. Boughner holds a bachelor’s degree from Douglass
College, and master’s degrees in music, education and theology from Syracuse
University, Rutgers University and Drew University. Any spare time is spent
playing golf, reading, or sleeping!
