I first met Lara St. John as an artist…well, not exactly. I first came to know this fabulous musician via her recordings of the Bach Violin Concerti and the Solo Violin Music. It was much later that I began to read of her revelations abuse at the hands of her teachers, trusted adults.

For over 40 years I have worked as a psychiatric nurse (still do). During that time I have worked with many people with similar trauma from such abuse. And, yes, I have worked with perpetrators too. It is not pretty. And the most heinous revelation we get to learn in this film is the years of administrators blaming the victim, further exacerbating the trauma for the victims. It is rare that I have the opportunity to write about music as well as psychiatric issues but St. John’s sensitive approach hits all the right emotional notes and reaches out to all who have experienced such trauma. It is an excellent work.

As a long time fan of classical music, I find that the art, really expressive only in performance, feeds my soul and soothes my ills. It is saddening, and a certain fall from grace or destruction of my naïveté to hear of the crimes against artists described in this documentary. The rampant sexual abuse perpetrated by artists I once revered shakes my faith and taints the art I love. I guess that’s one of the reasons the subject of sexual predators being basically accepted by members of the power elite has been allowed to go on so long. More importantly, this film is an affirmation of St. John and the other victims known and unknown whose belief in themselves as artists has damaged but not destroyed their art.

While shocked and angry myself, I know I will recover to a point where I can enjoy the art of beautiful performance without it triggering anger and disgust. But the victims do continue to suffer. This film rather masterfully tells the story of personal betrayal and, ultimately, is a landmark in the progress of eradicating such criminal behavior and giving victims the voice they deserve. In fact the film gives voice to a number of other victims, many inspired by St. John’s work.

“Dear Lara” is ultimately a wonderfully hopeful film that documents Maestra St. John’s struggles but also, the successes of having had an astounding number of sexual predators fired, some even jailed as a result of her revelations and subsequent advocacy. It is a success story that will have no end until these criminal practices find their end. And this film also succeeds in defining this writer/director’s role as a powerful activist for the struggle. This is a celebration of these efforts.

This documentary is certainly not the first film to address these issues. Others have tread the path of Lara’s journey and a movement gains momentum. No, it’s not the first but it is one of the finest and a film that needs to be seen so that the struggles it documents might be better understood and the perpetrators removed.

I’m a great fan of the Santa Barbara Film Festival and was delighted to meet the artist who now adds documentary filmmaker (and composer) to her artistic accomplishments.

Thanks, Lara, for this fine documentary. It was an honor to meet you in person. Keep up the good fight and I look forward to your upcoming musical projects as well.