W. Darr Wise Piano Competition

The W. Darr Wise Piano Competition is named in honor of Newberry College professor emeritus Dr. W. Darr Wise. Wise was a member of the Newberry College Music faculty for 42 years, serving as both a piano professor and the College organist until his retirement in 1998. His skill as a musician and an educator inspired his students to continue studying and teaching at major music conservatories and to achieve successful careers as performers, church musicians, retailers and leaders in the music industry, teachers and administrators in all levels of education. 

Division 1: $250 first prize, plus up to five $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors, at the judge’s discretion

Division 2: $100 first prize, plus up to five $3,000 scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors, at the judge’s discretion

Division 3: $50 first prize

Honorable mentions at judge’s discretion.

Bring a judge’s copy of all music

Division 1: Difficult Repertoire

*Sample Repertoire: Chopin Ballades, more difficult Beethoven piano sonata movements; Bach Partitas

       Memorization required 

       20 min time slot

       2 contrasting pieces or movements from different time periods

Division 2: Advanced Repertoire

*Sample Repertoire: Chopin Polonaises or Nocturnes; easy to medium difficulty Beethoven sonata movements; Debussy Arabesques or Suite Bergamasque

        Memorization required 

        15 min time slot

        2 contrasting pieces or movements from different time periods 

Division 3: Intermediate to Early Advanced Repertoire

        Memorization required for prizes

        10 min time slot

        2 contrasting pieces or movements

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Competition will take place from approximately 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., with  a winners' recital at the conclusion of the competition.  Specific times will be emailed to competitors and the winners' recital time is to be determined. 

After stumbling across a brief mention of American composer Philippa Schuyler, Dr. Sarah Masterson embarked on a years-long quest to research and reconstruct Schuyler’s piano music. She has presented Schuyler’s music at venues including the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Music by Women International Festival, College Music Society National Conference, and Women at the Piano International Conference. Masterson’s 2022 world premiere recording of Schuyler’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom received third prize in the 2023 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Additionally, her 2024 album Travelogue: Philippa Schuyler’s Music for Piano, funded in part by a generous Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, includes world premiere recordings of several of Schuyler’s compositions. Her book Snapshots of Forgotten Adventures: Rediscovering the Piano Music of Philippa Schuyler was published by Tyger River Books in May 2024.

Dr. Masterson is currently associate professor of piano and music theory at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina. At Newberry, she serves as the coordinator of music theory, director of department of music social media, and the founding artistic director of the W. Darr Wise Piano Competition. She is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, International Alliance for Women in Music, and the Recording Academy. Visit her online at sarahmastersonpianist.com.