Guest Piano Recital: Dr. Sarah Masterson

Dr. Sarah Masterson, associate professor of piano and music theory at Newberry College, will present a piano recital on Tuesday, March 25, at 7 p.m., in the Carroll Fine Arts Center Recital Hall at Limestone University.

The program, titled Travelogue: Philippa Schuyler’s Music for Piano, will feature works by the lesser-known Black American composer Philippa Schuyler (1931-1967).

Earlier that day, at 2 p.m., Masterson will give a presentation to Limestone music majors on her research and experience recording Schuyler’s music.

“We are fortunate to have an artist of this caliber perform at Limestone,” said Dr. Michael Langer, who serves as assistant professor of piano and theory and as music program coordinator at the University. “Masterson is doing invaluable work in promoting the music of Schuyler. In the classical world, music by women – especially Black women -- has often been overlooked and suppressed. I’m confident the audience will be both delighted and moved by Masterson's artistry and Schuyler’s engaging music.”

Masterson’s interest in Schuyler’s life led her to embark on a multi-year project to research and reconstruct the composer’s unique piano music. She has written Snapshots of Forgotten Adventures: Rediscovering the Piano Music of Philippa Schuyler, a book offering an in-depth exploration of Schuyler’s music. Masterson’s debut recording of Schuyler’s monumental Seven Pillars of Wisdom earned Third Prize in the 2023 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Her second album, Travelogue: Philippa Schuyler’s Music for Piano, includes the only commercially available recordings of Schuyler’s remaining piano works. The album was funded in part by an Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Masterson earned her Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Connecticut.