Dear Lara

The story begins in 2019, when renowned violinist Lara St. John speaks out about the sexual assault she endured as a 14-year-old student at the elite Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. After her story is published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, she is flooded with letters and outreach from fellow survivors. Determined to make these voices heard, Lara travels across North America and Europe to meet others who, like her, were failed by the very organizations meant to protect them. As these personal accounts accumulate, a pattern emerges of institutions shielding predators at the expense of the vulnerable. Blending unflinching testimony, investigative rigor, and a haunting original score, the film exposes ingrained practices of harm and cover-ups, rooted in power, silence, and the worship of reputation over justice.

Joined by fellow musicians, journalists, students and activists pressing for accountability, Lara’s pursuit to illuminate this insidious pattern in the classical music world serves as both a reckoning from within and a rallying cry for cultural change, created by someone who lived an all-too-common ordeal and refused to look away.

Official Selection 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.