Sally Sargent, pianist and teacher, was born in Philadelphia, PA, USA, and received her first instruction in piano and harmony from her grandfather, the prominent American composer Theodore Chanler.

Her major teachers on piano included Rio Nardi (a pupil of Busoni) and Marcel Ciampi, and she was also a pupil of Nadia Boulanger. Ms. Sargent received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Ithaca College and a teaching certification from the Vienna Conservatory, and she later worked as an independent assistant to Paul Badura-Skoda when he was professor at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst.

She continues to reside in Vienna, where she is a distinguished independent teacher of piano, interpretation, and harmony. She has given masterclasses and workshops on modern piano, romantic piano, fortepiano, and harpsichord, and has lectured widely on the history of piano playing. She is the author of the article "Touch (ii)" in the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

"C’est une vraie musicienne. "
- Marcel Ciampi

"At once I was struck by gift,
her musical capacity and intelligence... "
- Nadia Boulanger