{"id":122188,"date":"2026-03-02T15:49:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122188"},"modified":"2026-03-02T15:53:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:53:03","slug":"interview-violinist-now-filmmaker-lara-st-john-talks-dear-lara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/02\/interview-violinist-now-filmmaker-lara-st-john-talks-dear-lara\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Violinist\u2014 And Now Filmmaker \u2014 Lara St. John Talks About Dear Lara"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_122204\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122204\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122204\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565.jpg\" alt=\"Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122204\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Acclaimed Canadian musician Lara St. John recently premiered her first feature documentary at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival.<\/p>\n<p>Dear Lara, directed by St. John, produced by Patrick Hamm and edited by Christie Herring screened four times to enthusiastic audiences there and was in contention for the Audience Award. It\u2019s a film about a central event in St. John\u2019s life, and too many others: sexual abuse in the classical music world.<\/p>\n<p>Film critic Mark Ziobro hailed the film in The Movie Buff, \u201cDear Lara is a powerful and hard documentary. And necessary.\u201d Ziobro goes on, \u201cDear Lara \u2014 named after the many letters Lara received after going public with her abuse \u2014 is not about her. It\u2019s about the countless women this happened to and finally giving them a voice and support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>St. John demonstrates her survival skills with her on-going advocacy for abuse survivors, which will be furthered with this film as an instrument for change in her musical realm.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7wUKrb6s8bg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>St. John, who was raped as a 14-year-old by her 78-year-old violin teacher Jascha Brodsky in 1985 at the Curtis Institute of Music, didn\u2019t receive an apology from the eminent music school until she went public in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The film came about after her courageous stand made other survivors feel compelled to share their stories with her.<\/p>\n<p>Dear Lara shows that there is a pattern of abuse, with men in positions of high authority in orchestras and schools taking advantage of young people with talent and no power. What they do is an injustice that affects their lives permanently. St. John\u2019s film is a clear-eyed attack on this terrible situation that is still ongoing, and not just in the classical world.<\/p>\n<p>Dear Lara shares the true stories of musicians who have survived abuse \u2014 Lusiana Lukman, Lisamarie Vana, Mascha van Sloten, Heather Bird, Zeneba Bowers, Samuel Schultz \u2014 and includes supportive journalists Anne Midgette and Sammy Sussman as well as Amsterdam Conservatory administrator <strong>Okke Westdorp<\/strong> and Lara\u2019s brother <strong>Scott St. John<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A key figure in the film is Katherine Needleman, an oboist who, along with St. John, is leading the fight against the abuse that is still taking place.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an ongoing battle that, according to a Washington Post article by Geoff Edgers entitled \u201cThe Most Dangerous Woman in classical music\u201d, has left Ms. St. John with the very real situation of being sued for libel by someone who harassed Needleman.<\/p>\n<p>It shows that there is a price to be paid for not staying silent in this contentious era.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Lara St. John stands tall and is now equipped with something valuable in the fight, a brave no-holds-barred documentary.<\/p>\n<p>LV\u2019s <strong>Marc Glassman<\/strong> (LV) spoke with <strong>Lara St. John<\/strong> (Lara) during the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where the film made its premiere.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122205\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122205\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122205\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_013_Dear-Lara-Opening.jpg\" alt=\"Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_013_Dear-Lara-Opening.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_013_Dear-Lara-Opening-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_013_Dear-Lara-Opening-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_013_Dear-Lara-Opening-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122205\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Lara St. John: The Interview<\/h3>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> How did it feel for you to premiere the film at Santa Barbara?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> It was really something else to finally show the film. It\u2019s strange in some ways. I&#8217;m showing the worst thing that ever happened to me in front of a bunch of people who are watching it on screen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> What did the festival organizers think?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> The festival had already scheduled Dear Lara three times, and they decided to put on a fourth screening thanks to it being voted as one of the Santa Barbara Festival\u2019s most popular films. That\u2019s kind of astonishing considering the subject matter. I was really touched that a lot of people came from across North America. Some were people that I didn&#8217;t know that well; they just thought our film is really important.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> Who came and how did the audience respond?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> Many people from Dear Lara were there \u2014 <strong>Katherine Needleman<\/strong>, of course, and the writers <strong>Anne Midgette<\/strong> and <strong>Sammy Sussman<\/strong>. And, my brother Scott and Toronto&#8217;s own <strong>Lusiana Lukman<\/strong>, of the Classical Music Conservatory, whose story was also reported in the Toronto Star that very weekend.<\/p>\n<p>We were given 20 to 25 minutes for Questions and Answers (Q&amp;As) after all of the screenings. Many audience members were from the music world. On the second day I had a woman who tried to ask a question and couldn&#8217;t because she burst into tears and said, \u201cI also was a violinist, but I didn\u2019t become one because the same thing happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There were academics especially from the West Coast and people who work on soundtracks in Los Angeles. I saw people that I had lost touch with over the years who made giant flights to come out. I was really touched by how many people made a real effort to be there. Many people stood out; one of the many who impressed me was Thula, the violist and composer whose full name is <strong>Nokuthula Ngwenyama<\/strong>, who travelled from the East Coast to be there. We hadn\u2019t seen each other in years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122206\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122206\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122206\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_014_Young-Lara-and-Scott-with-Orchestra.jpg\" alt=\"Lara and Scott St. John in a still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_014_Young-Lara-and-Scott-with-Orchestra.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_014_Young-Lara-and-Scott-with-Orchestra-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_014_Young-Lara-and-Scott-with-Orchestra-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_014_Young-Lara-and-Scott-with-Orchestra-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lara and Scott St. John in a still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> What was the reaction from regular festival goers?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> The people who don&#8217;t have anything to do with classical music are shocked. I think we have this reputation of prancing around playing pretty tunes on instruments from 400 years ago, which is not entirely untrue, but they just never guess the fact that there might be this extraordinarily sordid underbelly beneath the music.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s funny that they don&#8217;t, because you get this kind of problem when you have adult men in positions of great power over women and children. I know there are a lot of really great male conductors, concertmasters and teachers out there. But, this kind of dynamic attracts those who want to abuse that power. We&#8217;ve seen it in the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church, especially, and in gymnastics recently. We&#8217;ve got to shine a great big spotlight on this.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> I heard you played a short concert after one of the screenings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> Yes, I played for about 12 minutes after the Sunday matinee. I played a short Bach gigue and then Schubert\u2019s Death and the Maiden Fantasia. (It\u2019s a solo violin arrangement of both the song and quartet by me \u2014 and it\u2019s a recurring theme in the film). I heard a few sniffles in the theatre.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> Does it feel different showing a film than doing a live concert?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> Yes, it does. For the third screening, I was only able to show up for the Q&amp;A, and I realized that audiences would see the film without my being there. It was a weird feeling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> For the first screenings, did you have your main crew members there?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> Yes, my producers were there, including the two who worked so hard on the film, <strong>Patrick Hamm<\/strong>, who shot a lot of it, and <strong>Christie Herring<\/strong>, who was my editor. They\u2019re so important to me.<\/p>\n<p>I had taught myself how to shoot and edit music videos years ago because I was really annoyed at editors who couldn\u2019t manage to synchronize violin playing properly. So, I wasn&#8217;t starting from nowhere with the film. But after COVID, when I started to concentrate on it again, I found my producer, Patrick, who was really instrumental in making the shoots happen more professionally.<br \/>\nWith Lusiana&#8217;s interview in Toronto, for example, he was there with me helping with the cameras and everything \u2014 the lights, the sound. A lot of the early interviews I did alone, it was just me setting up cameras, lighting, and shooting the person. But with Patrick, it just got a lot easier because then I could just concentrate on the interview and their story.<\/p>\n<p>Then Patrick introduced me to Christie. I&#8217;m new to features, and I\u2019ve got to say that documentary editing is the hardest. With Christie\u2019s help, we managed to create a story arc. After lots of discussions and viewing many cuts, there\u2019s a compelling reason for every shot that\u2019s in the film.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s glued inexorably together now. One of our major points, for example, was to make it clear how global this terrible situation is, and I think that\u2019s obvious now. A lot of people remarked that they never lost interest even once, though at 93 minutes it\u2019s a long film for a documentary.<\/p>\n<p>Musicians came up to me and said, \u201cThank God, you\u2019re shedding light on this.\u201d That\u2019s really nice to hear.<\/p>\n<p>Christie handled all the post production work and did all the preparation for fair use in what was said in the interviews. She worked with the privacy lawyers. There is no way I could have done that.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122208\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122208\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122208\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_016_Lara_s-Admission-Letter-to-Curtis-Institute.jpg\" alt=\"Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_016_Lara_s-Admission-Letter-to-Curtis-Institute.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_016_Lara_s-Admission-Letter-to-Curtis-Institute-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_016_Lara_s-Admission-Letter-to-Curtis-Institute-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_016_Lara_s-Admission-Letter-to-Curtis-Institute-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> In order to get the film out to festivals and the public, you need representation. Has that happened?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> Yes, we\u2019re now represented by Blood, Sweat and Honey, who handle independent films. It\u2019s run by <strong>Alex Nohe<\/strong> and a Sundance veteran, <strong>Jeff Dowd<\/strong>. <strong>Annie Jeeves<\/strong> is our publicist. We\u2019re working together to figure out a strategy with how we present the film.<\/p>\n<p>As a first time director, I am learning about how you premiere films at festivals and then work for theatrical distribution and streaming. I know now that\u2019s usually followed by special screenings at schools and events.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve already been approached by over 20 schools, which is really great. It\u2019s crucial that people know about the sexual and gender abuse that is dominating the classical music world. Katherine (Needleman) is in the orchestral vanguard of it and I&#8217;m the one to take on the educational sector.<\/p>\n<p>For me it&#8217;s about prevention, as much as it is justice. I just don&#8217;t want this to happen anymore. And I know that it&#8217;s still happening. Some of the schools that have approached me about showing the film have had many cases of abuse. There\u2019s an extraordinary amount of damage that has been done that should be stopped.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> Can you talk about how important this film is to you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> I used to have a Manhattan apartment on the Upper West Side, and now I have a documentary. Mind you, I did have help from my husband and others, but I didn\u2019t want to have grants and be beholden to others. I wanted to make the film as freely as possible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> Now that you\u2019ve exposed the evil practices that are endemic in the classical world, what are the solutions?<\/p>\n<p>Lara: In the film, some very good practices are suggested through the <strong>Amsterdam Conservatory<\/strong>. One of them is team teaching. It diminishes the power of a teacher over a student if there are two mentors.<\/p>\n<p>Another is to get rid of locks on doors when a young student is being taught one on one. At the Amsterdam Conservatory, everything is glass; there are actually no doors.<\/p>\n<p>Music schools and orchestras should insist on doing background checks on new staff members. They should be asking why people have been allowed \u2014 or forced \u2014 to resign from their previous institutions.<\/p>\n<p>When parents tour schools, they should make sure there are windows in all studios and offices where their children will have to interact with their mentors. Isn\u2019t that a reasonable thing to ask?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122207\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122207\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122207\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_015_Lara-St.-John-and-Scott-St.-John-Brother-and-Whistleblower.jpg\" alt=\"Lara and Scott St. John in a still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_015_Lara-St.-John-and-Scott-St.-John-Brother-and-Whistleblower.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_015_Lara-St.-John-and-Scott-St.-John-Brother-and-Whistleblower-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_015_Lara-St.-John-and-Scott-St.-John-Brother-and-Whistleblower-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/DearLara_FilmStill_015_Lara-St.-John-and-Scott-St.-John-Brother-and-Whistleblower-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122207\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lara and Scott St. John in a still from the film Dear Lara, by Lara St. John (Photo courtesy of Lara St. John)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> What\u2019s your biggest hope with this film and ongoing campaign against systemic abuse in the classical music system?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> I want to clean this profession up so that women and children can have an equal and healthy time in it and be happy. Things should change so that people like Lusiana won\u2019t be put in a situation where she can be abused by Boris Berlin and he can get away with it. The sheer neglect on the parts of music administrations and academic institutions is ridiculous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marci Hamilton<\/strong>, who is in the film, is the former director of Child USA, which is a think tank focusing on child abuse. I\u2019m working with her on adapting a gold standard, a points system, which schools are being persuaded to adopt. There&#8217;s a prototype, and we&#8217;re going to tweak it a bit for music schools.<\/p>\n<p>I put Curtis through the existing prototype, and they came out with 21%. Parents should be looking at things like that. If we can construct a school standard and have a website where people could go to and say, \u201cThis looks like a really safe place for my daughter to go\u201d, I\u2019d be happy about that. Then I think we&#8217;d really have accomplished something and make the profession a lot safer.<\/p>\n<p>There is a website right now called <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/we-had-no-idea.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">We Had No Idea<\/a><\/strong>. The woman who runs that flew down from San Francisco for the premiere. She\u2019s doing what she can. The site lists perpetrators and the schools and orchestras where they have worked. There&#8217;s always the possibility of legal ramifications, so she only puts them on if she can cite at least two articles or if there\u2019s been an investigation or sentencing. We know that there are hundreds more, so the work has to continue.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LV:<\/strong> How about in Canada?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lara:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been in conversations with <strong>The Gatehouse<\/strong>, an Ontario organization, which supports survivors of sexual abuse. They help them reclaim their voices. I recently attended a reading by Ghrian Shine at the Gatehouse, from her book about intergenerational sexual abuse called Breathing the Night Out. It was an intense, but ultimately uplifting event.<\/p>\n<p>I think The Gatehouse is doing great things. Certainly, I\u2019d like to be part of making change happen in Canada.<\/p>\n<p><strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?s=marc+glassman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marc Glassman<\/a> for Ludwig-Van<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a;\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Acclaimed Canadian musician Lara St. John recently premiered her first feature documentary at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,41223,22,4967,23,29,31,39,63],"tags":[1910,42714,42712,42713],"yst_prominent_words":[6715,12167,8355,11757,10132],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-02T154309.565.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vMM","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122188"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122188"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122211,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122188\/revisions\/122211"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122188"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=122188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}