Violinist Lara St. John Discusses 'Dear Lara' Documentary [AUDIO ONLY VERSION]

About Lara St. John (from press release): Lara St. John is a violinist who has performed as soloist with major orchestras around the world for more than four decades. In 2019, after publicly revealing her assault at age 14 by her teacher at the Curtis Institute, she became a leading advocate for accountability and justice in classical music. 'Since then, she has spoken at rallies, in the press and through formal testimony – including before the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee – in support of survivors and legislative reform. With Dear Lara, she turns the camera on her own story and those of many others to expose the patterns of abuse and complicity that have long gone unchallenged in the world she knows so well. Lara began playing violin at age 2 and made her first solo appearance with orchestra at 4. Her European debut took place at age 10. Described as a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times and “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad, she has performed internationally and has frequently appeared on the covers of major music publications. In 1999, Lara founded Ancalagon Records – the first independent classical label of its kind. She has released over 20 albums and composed and performed the film’s original score. Her many honors include a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year (2011), Best Music Video at the Toronto International Short Film Festival (2017), and her investiture in the Order of Canada (2020) for “service to society and innovations that ignite the imagination.” Dear Lara is her directorial debut.