Conference Agenda

Dear Lara is a deeply personal documentary that exposes decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity in the classical music world. The story begins in 2019, when renowned violinist Lara St. John speaks out about the sexual assault she endured at age 14 at the prestigious Curtis Institute. After her account 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 institutions meant to protect them. As these testimonies accumulate, a pattern emerges of organizations shielding predators at the expense of the vulnerable. Blending unflinching testimony, investigative rigor, expressive animation, and a haunting original score composed by Lara herself, the film exposes entrenched practices of harm and cover-ups rooted in power, silence, and the preservation of reputation over justice. The screening will be followed by a filmmaker conversation and audience discussion.