Press

BBC Radio 3

I was honored to be interviewed for BBC Radio 3: The Essay’s episode on Philippa Schuyler! The episode is part of the weeklong program Women at the Keyboard, written and hosted by musicologist Natasha Loges.

Piano Inspires

Piano Inspires recently featured my article “5 Things You Might Not Know About Philippa Schuyler”: Read Here

Sonatas and Soundscapes

SC Public Radio’s Sonatas and Soundscapes was kind enough to feature “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” for the anniversary of Schuyler’s death on May 9. You can listen to the interview here: Sonatas and Soundscapes Interview

The American Prize

“A very special album focused on the rediscovery of the piano music of Philippa Schuyler (Seven Pillars of Wisdom.) Lovingly researched, produced and performed, the music is attractive, quirky, rhythmically energized, moving in unusual harmonic ways, displaying a certain Middle Eastern exotica (not surprising, considering the literature which inspired it) which usually avoids cliche. It is a massive undertaking, worthy of finally receiving the attention it was denied during the composer’s all too short life. Worthy of special attention this contest season, in many ways epitomizing the purpose of the Ernst Bacon Award. High placement recommended.”— The American Prize

HerStory Video Series

In November 2021, this project was featured in the Women Composers Festival of Hartford’s HerStory video series! You can listen to me discuss Philippa Schuyler’s “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” in this short video.

Local Press Coverage

Local coverage of the project: The State Newspaper.

Reviews

On Travelogue: “Beautiful and skillful playing by pianist Sarah Masterson.” – American Record Guide, May/June 2025

“Dr. Sarah Masterson…scores well as both scholar and musician in an ongoing multi-year project to research and reconstruct the music of Philippa Schuyler (1931-1967)…A momentous life to the very end, we must wonder what her legacy in music would have been had she not died before her time. The deeply revealing and insightful accounts of her music by Sarah Masterson on the present album provide tantalizing food for speculation.” – Classical Reviews, Atlanta Audio Club

“Sarah Masterson has researched the life and music of Philippa Schuyler extensively, and her very detailed descriptions of each piece in the booklet are a great help to the listener. Anyone who enjoys piano miniatures will enjoy the very international colors of these works.” – Pizzicato

On Seven Pillars of Wisdom: “Dr. Masterson brilliantly resurrects a lost work by Philippa Schuyler and gives new life to an important biracial composer and pianist who has largely disappeared from history. She has meticulously gathered, collated, and transcribed the manuscript pages—long buried in archival boxes—to re-create Schuyler’s original version of Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Her performance is eloquent and nuanced, and the lucid liner notes enhance our understanding of this complex, mosaic-like piece. It is a tour de force.” — Kathryn Talalay, author of Composition in Black and White: The Tragic Saga of Harlem’s Biracial Prodigy

“Masterson’s interpretation of this extended work is convincing and displays her technical mastery. The recording of Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a monumental achievement in reviving a work of historical significance.” —-Dr. Jasmin Arakawa, Journal of the IAWM (Vol. 28, No. 3)

“Masterson immerses us in Schuyler’s creative world…this recording reflects an intimate knowledge of Schuyler’s musical intention. Masterson convincingly guides us through each section, from the highly atmospheric prologue, through the expressive seven parts, to the impassioned epilogue.” —-Dr. Samantha Ege, The Kapralova Society Journal