March 19, 2000
						 76 Lexington Ave, Apt. 1
						 Somerville, MA 02144
						 617-628-0406
						 cjsmith@mit.edu



Dear Sir or Madam,

    
    I am writing this letter in application for the SWEA grant for
    study in Sweden. I have been playing recorder for several years
    with Stambandet, a Scandinavian musical ensemble located in the
    Boston area. Through working with Stambandet, I have been exposed
    to some of the culture and music of Sweden, and have discovered an
    interest in the musical style. I would love an opportunity to
    study more intensely the Swedish folk music tradition, in
    particular the Spielpipa which appears to be the nearest relative
    of the recorder in Sweden. I believe it would help my performance
    and understanding of the music I play with Stambandet and would
    enrich my interactions with that group and groups of a similar
    nature.

    I have been studying recorder since I was nine, and I recently
    completed a Master's Degree in Early Music Performance from the
    Longy School of Music. I perform in the Boston area with
    Stambandet as well as a Baroque trio, Cantata a Trois. I have
    performed in a variety of concert series, including the Boston
    Recorder Society Concert Series and the Society for Historically
    Informed Performance Summer Concert Series. I have participated
    in the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute and the International
    Baroque Institute at Longy, and have studied with Sonja Lindblad
    and John Tyson, as well as taking Masterclasses with Paol
    Leenholts and Gerd Lunenberger. My training has been primarily in
    the baroque style and I would love a chance to explore more
    thoroughly the music that I have been exposed to through working
    with Stambandet.

Sincerely,




Carolyn Smith