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Dear Lara is a deeply personal documentary that exposes decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity in the classical music world.In 2019, 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.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Lara St. John and Katherine Needleman, hosted by WXXI Classical's Mona Seghatoleslami.
The discussion will be ASL interpreted. A representative of RESTORE Sexual Assault Services will be there in person for anyone at the event who needs support.
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Event venue
The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604-2637, United States
Tickets
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