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Prizes & Internships

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Prizes

The Department of Music awards annual prizes for excellent work in the areas of music history, theory, composition, and performance. In some cases these prizes offer substantial amounts that may cover the expense of summer musical study or even tuition at an institution of higher learning.

Susan Rose Internships in Music

Each summer since 1998, a number of students in music have pursued career internships in a wide variety of areas with financial support provided by an extraordinarily generous gift to the college from Susan Wechsler Rose, Class of ’63. These internships have ranged from performance to academic musical study, from music administration to the real world of the business of music. Recent internships have included:

  • participation in the opera workshop at the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado;
  • study of traditional Ewe drumming in Ghana, West Africa;
  • field work on Buddhist chanting in California;
  • bibliographical work on Berlioz at the Bibliothèque nationale de France;
  • the study of conducting at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut;
  • producing popular albums with What Are Records in Boulder, Colorado;
  • orchestral librarianship at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York;
  • administrative assistance at the Washington National Opera, in Washington, D.C.
  • summer courses in music production, in New York City

All sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled at Smith whose curriculum has included classroom courses in music, and who have demonstrated a commitment to the study of music, are eligible—and are encouraged—to compete for a Susan Rose Internship. The grant provides funding up to an approximate maximum of $5,000. Students are normally awarded only one grant during their years at the college, but in special circumstances students may apply for a second.

Internships are normally carried out during the summer months following the sophomore or junior year, but proposals for work during the academic year, or for work to be carried out after graduation, will also receive careful consideration.

How to Apply

A student who wishes to compete for an internship should consult with their music professors, and with the chairs of the music department’s Susan Rose Internship Committee - Andrea Moore, amoore44@smith.edu, and Kate Soper, ksoper@smith.edu - regarding the area in which they expect to pursue work. They should then prepare a one-page proposal and a detailed budget (indicating, as specifically required for the internship, the cost of room and board, instruction, and transportation), and submit these documents along with an unofficial copy of their academic transcript. They should have one brief letter of recommendation (from a music professor or other familiar with their work) sent via email directly to the Music Academic Assistant, Anna Goudreau, agoudreau@smith.edu. 

Applications for 2023 summer projects must be submitted to Anna Goudreau by Monday, April 17 at 4:30pm. 

Students who are awarded Susan Rose funding, upon completion of their internship or project, must submit a one-page essay about their experience to Anna Goudreau.