The powerful social justice documentary Dear Lara makes its world premiere on February 6, 2026 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, marking a pivotal moment for accountability, truth-telling, and reform within the classical music world. Directed by internationally acclaimed Canadian violinist Lara St. John, the film confronts decades of sexual abuse and institutional complicity through an unflinching, deeply personal lens. The premiere screening is followed by a panel Q and A with St. John and several featured subjects, with an additional highlight on Sunday, February 8 at 3 pm when St. John will perform a brief live concert after the screening.
A Personal Story That Became a Movement
Dear Lara begins in 2019, when Lara St. John publicly shared her experience of sexual assault as a 14-year-old student at the elite Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After her account was published by a major newspaper, St. John was inundated with letters from survivors across the classical music community. These messages became the catalyst for a journey that extends across North America and Europe, as St. John meets musicians, educators, and advocates whose stories echo her own. What emerges is not a series of isolated incidents, but a systemic pattern of silence, protection of abusers, and institutional failure.
Exposing Institutional Silence in Classical Music
The film carefully documents how prestigious institutions often prioritized reputation over responsibility, creating environments where abuse could persist unchecked. Through candid interviews and investigative storytelling, Dear Lara reveals how power dynamics within conservatories and orchestras left young musicians vulnerable while shielding those who caused harm. The documentary’s strength lies in its refusal to sensationalize trauma, instead allowing survivors to speak with clarity, dignity, and resolve. Their testimonies collectively expose a culture that normalized silence and punished those who dared to speak out.
Official YouTube Trailer
Voices of Survivors and Advocates
Dear Lara features a powerful group of voices from across the classical music world and beyond. Among those sharing their experiences and expertise are violinists Robie Brown, Lisamarie Vana, Mascha van Sloten, and Zeneba Bowers, acclaimed oboist and advocate Katherine Needleman, double bassist Heather Bird, opera singer Samuel Schultz, and violinist Scott St. John, Lara’s brother. The film also includes insights from Marci Hamilton, founder of Child USA, veteran arts journalist Anne Midgette, investigative journalist Sammy Sussman, and Okke Westdorp, director of the Amsterdam Conservatorium. Together, these voices form a chorus demanding transparency, reform, and justice.
A Filmmaking Approach Rooted in Integrity
As her directorial debut, Dear Lara reflects St. John’s commitment to honesty and artistic rigor. The film is shot by St. John herself alongside cinematographer Patrick Hamm, whose previous work includes acclaimed documentaries for PBS. The production team brings together experienced voices in nonfiction filmmaking, with Patrick Hamm producing, Christie Herring co-producing, and Christy McGill serving as consulting producer. Executive producer Stephen H. Judson supports the project, while Herring also handled editing duties. St. John composed the original score, using music not as ornamentation but as an emotional extension of the film’s themes.
Music as Both Wound and Healing
Music plays a central role throughout Dear Lara, functioning as both the site of harm and a source of healing. St. John’s compositions underscore moments of reflection and confrontation, reminding viewers that classical music, for all its beauty, has also been shaped by rigid hierarchies and unchecked power. By reclaiming music as a tool for expression and resistance, the film reframes it as a medium for change rather than silence.
A Call to Action Beyond the Screen
More than a documentary, Dear Lara serves as a call to action for institutions, educators, and audiences alike. It challenges the classical music world to reckon with its past and actively protect future generations. The film asks difficult questions about accountability, safeguarding, and cultural change, urging viewers to move beyond acknowledgment toward meaningful reform. Its message resonates far beyond music, speaking to any field where authority and tradition have been used to excuse harm.
Festival Premiere and Ongoing Impact
The world premiere at SBIFF positions Dear Lara within a global conversation about justice and institutional responsibility. Following the February 6 screening, audiences have opportunities to engage directly with the filmmaker and subjects through panels and discussions, reinforcing the film’s commitment to dialogue and transparency. Sales for the film are being handled by Blood Sweat Honey, with press screenings and interviews available during the festival. A review embargo lifts the evening of the premiere, underscoring the significance of this debut moment.
A Courageous Step Toward Accountability
Dear Lara stands as a courageous and necessary work, transforming personal pain into collective purpose. By amplifying survivor voices and exposing entrenched systems of silence, Lara St. John has created a film that not only documents injustice but insists on change. Its premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival marks the beginning of a wider journey, one that invites audiences to listen, believe, and act.
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