by Lara St.John

produced by Patrick Hamm

Spearheaded by violinist Lara St. John, Dear Lara opens with her own experience of being raped at the age of 14 at the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, which she made public in 2019. The film goes on to present the parallel stories of many others, as Lara speaks at length with other survivors from around the world. It sheds light on horrific occurrences at institutions like Chetham’s School in northern England, the Amsterdam Conservatory, North Carolina School of the Arts, Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, and L.A.’s elite Colburn School, as well as stories from musicians at major orchestras. The project unearths a pattern of severe misogyny and male entitlement afflicting children and women at every stage of their musical and personal lives. And in every case, the men have benefited from the complicity of the institutions they work for.