WXXI Classical Presents

Dear Lara

Saturday, October 10, 2026 | 3:30pm

Little Theatre 1 (240 East Ave.)
Doors open at 2:30pm

Regular ticket prices
Tickets available online in advance, at our box office during open hours, or at the door (if available).

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.

Followed by a post-film panel discussion.

WXXI Classical Presents

WXXI Classical Presents is a series of films that are related to classical music in some way, co-produced by WXXI Classical and The Little Theatre. Selected by classical music hosts Brenda Tremblay, Mona Seghatoleslami, and Steve Johnson each film chosen exemplifies the power of music in an exciting or non-traditional narrative way. More details about the WXXI Classical Presents Series