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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The next competition will be held February, 11 2023 on the Newberry College campus

Registration fee: $25. Register here.

Registration deadline: Friday, December 9 at 5 p.m.

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. 

Dr. Sarah Masterson, piano, is currenty Associate Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Newberry College in Newberry, S.C. Dr. Masterson also serves as the Coordinator of Music Theory, Director of the Department of Music Social Media, Freshman Faculty Mentor, and the founding Artistic Director of the W. Darr Wise Piano Competition. As an SCMTA board member, Dr. Masterson serves as Coordinator of Junior Competitions. She is also an active member of the Coljlege Music Society and American Guild of Organists. Prior to joining the Newberry College faculty, she was on faculty at Eastern Connecticut State University and Fitchburg State University.

Dr. Masterson's recent research focuses on the work of 20th-century American women composers, and she presented related lecture-recitals at the 2015 Women Composers Festival of Hartford and the 2016 College Music Society Mid-Atlantic Conference. In 2016, she also published a book review in the American Music Teacher magazine. As a performer, Dr. Masterson has performed as a soloist with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, the DePauw Orchestra, and the University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. She currently maintains an active performance schedule throughout New England, the Midwest, and the Southeast. In 2018, she premiered a collaborative piece at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference and presented at the Women Composers Festival of Hartford and the CMS Mid-Atlantic Conference.

In 2011, Dr. Masterston completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Connecticut, with a major concentration of piano performance and a minor area of emphasis in music theory. Past instructors include Dr. Neal Larrabee, Prof. Claude Cymerman, and Phyllis Niednagel.