Ladies Illuminate Program #14

Dear Lara

Written and Directed By Lara St. John

Synopsis: When violinist Lara St. John goes public about her own assault as a child at an elite music school, she uncovers a global pattern of abuse in the classical music world and joins fellow survivors to confront an entrenched culture of silence.

Website | @dearlaradoc

Lara St. John (Director) is an internationally renowned violinist, advocate, and filmmaker. In 2019, she publicly revealed the sexual assault she endured at age 14 at the Curtis Institute. Since then, she has become a prominent advocate for survivors and institutional accountability in classical music, speaking at rallies, in the press, and before the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee. With Dear Lara, she turns the camera on her own story and those of fellow survivors to expose systemic patterns of abuse and complicity. 

A violinist since age two, Lara made her orchestral debut at four and her European debut at ten. Described as a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times and “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad, she has performed with leading orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Royal Philharmonic. She founded the independent classical label Ancalagon Records in 1999 and has released more than 20 albums.

Her honors include a Juno Award and investiture into the Order of Canada. She composed and performed Dear Lara’s original score. The film is her directorial debut.

Christie Herring (Editor) is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and editor with over 25 years of documentary experience. Her work explores complex political and cultural subjects and has reached audiences through Tribeca, PBS, major streaming services, the White House, and U.S. Embassies worldwide. She directed The Campaign (PBS) and Singing for Justice (PBS). Her editing and producing credits include The Big Scary “S” Word (Hulu), Code: Debugging the Gender Gap (Tribeca), 23 Mile (True/False), One Person One Vote (PBS), Bias (Amazon), and Point of No Return (PBS NOVA). She holds degrees from Duke and Stanford.