Sarah Burges Watson was educated at Clare College, Cambridge (M.A. Hons Classics, University Prize for Intensive Greek), the University of Pennsylvania (M.A. Classical Studies, Thouron Scholar), and Harvard University (Ph.D. Classical Philology, Bowdoin Prize for Greek Prose Composition). At Harvard, she taught extensively both in the Classics department (Greek and Latin Language & Literature) and in the General Education curriculum, and was awarded two teaching prizes. After completing her graduate studies, Sarah spent a year as a Visiting Lecturer at McGill University (Greek Language and Literature). Sarah's research focuses on the mythical musician Orpheus, who was also known as the founder of mystery rites concerned with the afterlife. Sarah has been exploring the interaction between Orpheus' musical, mythical, and mystical. Wider research interests include tragedy, epic, Dionysos, ancient mystery cults, Plato and mythology.  

Sarah has also trained and performed extensively in music. She studied singing and piano at the Royal Academy of Music (London) and was a Finalist in the B.B.C. Choirgirl of the Year Competition, a Semi-Finalist in the Audi Junior Musician of the Year (Piano), and the Winner of the Brighton Competitive Music Festival Senior Piano Championship. At Harvard she performed in several operas, including the Harvard undergraduate composers' festival (for which she had principal roles) and the Early Music Society's production of Charpentier's Les Plaisirs de Versailles (Conversation) and Actéon (Arethuse). In conjunction with the latter, she participated in public masterclasses with William Christie of Les Arts Florissants. She also gave recitals for the Boston Center for Refugees and Human Rights and for the opening of the Gods in Color exhibition at Harvard's Sackler Museum. She has participated in summer schools with Oxenfoord (Lieder, opera scenes and baroque repertoire), Centro Studi Italiani (Opera Lirica), and Le Nouvel Opéra (Monteverdi).

Courses taught at ECLA:

Core Class (co-taught): 'Plato's Republic and its Interlocutors'.

Elective: 'Ovid's Metamorphoses and Greek Mythology'.

Languages: Ancient Greek

Publications:

'Dionysos', in The Encyclopedia of Ancient History. (R. Bagnall, K. Brodersen, C. Champion, A. Erskine and S. Huebner eds). Wiley-Blackwell. Forthcoming 2011 (online and print versions). 

'Plato', 'Purcell', 'Domenico Mazzocchi', in R. Thomas and J. Ziolkowski eds., The Virgil Encyclopedia. Wiley-Blackwell. Forthcoming 2011.