Lara St John

Lara St. John

Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has been described as “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times.

She has performed as soloist with most of the major orchestras on
five continents and has appeared in recital in hundreds of cities.

Lara manages her own label, Ancalagon, which she founded in 1999.
She won a Juno award for her Mozart album in 2011 and was invested with the Order of Canada in 2021.

LUSIANA LUKMAN

Indonesian-Canadian pianist. As a young teenager she reported abuse by her piano teacher Boris Berlin while a student at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. When she disclosed the abuse and sought protection, she was ignored by Peter Simon – then Director of Education, later the long-serving President of the Conservatory – who merely said, “So, you want to change piano teachers?” Dear Lara marks the first time her story has been told publicly.

ROBIE BROWN

American cellist. Robie’s bereaved fiancé, Frank Powdermaker, reports that she was abused by her violin teacher, Rafael Druian, a former concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra who later taught at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Beginning at age eight, she endured repeated rapes and threats of retaliation. She ultimately died by suicide in 1991, demonstrating the devastating, life-and-death consequences of unchecked abuse.

LISAMARIA VANA

American violinist. She reports that she was abused in high school at North Carolina School of the Arts by Stephen Shipps, who - after a complaint from her mother - relocated to the University of Michigan and remained there for four decades. She was later abused at Curtis by Rafael Druian, who had also abused Robie Brown as a child years before. Shipps was eventually jailed – but only for his crimes against another underage student. Vana’s story underscores how predators have targeted multiple students across multiple institutions, protected by silence.

MASCHA VAN SLOTEN

Dutch violinist. She describes her grooming beginning at age 12 by her violin teacher, Jan Repko, humiliation during lessons, and eventually sexual assault. After she filed a complaint with his employer, the Amsterdam Conservatorium, that led to his resignation, he relocated to the UK and continued teaching at multiple elite music schools for two decades. He is currently on trial for sexual assault in a separate case. This is the first time Mascha has shared her story publicly.

www.maschaVanSloten.com

HEATHER BIRD

English double bassist. While a student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England in the 1990s, she was harassed and assaulted by teacher Duncan McTier. In 2013, McTier pled guilty to multiple sexual assaults, was placed on the UK sex offenders’ register, and was allowed to resign from the Royal Academy of Music. Despite all of this, he continued teaching outside the UK for many years. Bird’s testimony highlights how even criminal convictions can fail to end institutional complicity.

www.vcolemanmusic.com

ZENEBA BOWERS

Zeneba Bowers, American violinist. At age 26, she took lessons with Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster Bill Preucil. She describes how after a late session, he attempted to sexually assault her, she fought him off, and he threatened to blacklist her if she told anybody about the incident. Decades later, she came forward about her experience in a Washington Post article and was maligned at her workplace of 20 years (Nashville Symphony) and by many in the classical music profession. She now lives in Italy.

KATHERINE NEEDLEMAN

American oboist. She is the principal oboist at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and describes how she was harassed by their concertmaster, Jonathan Carney. She recounts how when she reported him she faced retaliation, flawed investigations, continued institutional indifference, and yet still must work alongside him. Needleman has since become an outspoken advocate for reform in the classical music world, and has been described as “the most dangerous woman in classical music” by the Washington Post.

www.katherineNeedleman

SAMUEL SCHULTZ

American opera singer. He recounts how as a college student in 2010, he was drugged and raped by star countertenor David Daniels and Daniels’ husband. He did not report the rape, fearing that no one would believe him as a gay man. Schultz attempted suicide and then vowed to tell the truth to protect others. He went public, and though his story was met with great skepticism and dismissal, eventually Daniels was arrested. He pled guilty in 2023, is on the sex offender’s registry, and no longer teaches at a university. Schultz remains one of the very few men in classical music to speak openly about sexual assault.

SCOTT ST JOHN

Canadian violinist, violist, and chamber musician, brother of Lara St. John. While teaching at the Colburn Conservatory, he reported a case of harassment by a student. When he urged an external investigation, his request was rejected and he was threatened by senior faculty. He resigned in protest, exemplifying the toll on insiders who reject complicity.

www.scottstjohn.com

ANNE MIDGETTE

American journalist and longtime classical music critic for The Washington Post. In 2018 she co-authored one of the first major #MeToo exposés in classical music, speaking to more than 50 victims. She reported on multiple cases, including that of Katherine Needleman, and resigned from the Post in 2019, partly under the weight of what she had uncovered. In the film, she frames survivor stories within the larger culture of complicity in classical music.

www.annemidgette

SAMMY SUSSMAN

American investigative journalist. While still an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, he broke the Stephen Shipps story in the student newspaper, documenting decades of abuse allegations ignored by the University of Michigan and multiple other institutions. His reporting prompted state and federal investigations and was a key factor in Shipps’s eventual conviction. In Dear Lara, he
represents the value of persistent investigative journalism when institutions fail, even from unlikely sources.

www.sammysussman.com

MARCI HAMILTON

American legal scholar and founder of Child USA, a leading nonprofit think tank focused on child protection. She is a national authority on statute-of-limitations reform, arguing that child sexual abuse should be treated legally like murder, with no expiration period for justice. In the film, she explains how legal frameworks enable institutional negligence.

www.Marci_Hamilton