Monday, 23 November 2026 | 1:00 to 3:00 pm ET | Online (Zoom Webinar)
English audio with French subtitles
Content note: Dear Lara deals directly with childhood sexual abuse and its lasting effects. Please read the section “Taking care during the screening” below before you register.
Orchestras Canada, the Association for Opera in Canada and the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians invite you to an online screening of Dear Lara, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, violinist Lara St. John.
About the film
When violinist Lara St. John went public about her own assault as a child at an elite music school, she uncovered a global pattern of abuse in the classical music world. Dear Lara follows her as she joins fellow survivors to confront an entrenched culture of silence. Directed by Lara St. John and produced by Patrick Hamm, the film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2026 and has since received the Courage Award at Cinema d’iDEA in Rome and Best International Documentary at the Festival international du film de Bretagne.
Why we are showing this film
Music schools, orchestras and opera companies are supposed to be places of learning, mentorship and close collaboration. Dear Lara asks what happens when trust in those spaces is broken, and what it takes to change a culture of silence. We are presenting it so that musicians, administrators, educators and leaders can face these questions together, with care.
Program
- 1:00 pm: Welcome
- 1:05 pm: Screening of Dear Lara
- 1:40 pm: Q&A with Lara St. John
Taking care during the screening
This is an art space rather than a therapeutic one, and we want to be honest about what that means. There will not be a mental health professional on the call. There will be a designated support person, introduced at the start, whom you can message privately at any time.
You are welcome to step away whenever you need to: walk away from your computer, minimize or mute the window, turn off your screen or leave the call. Because this is a Zoom Webinar, other attendees cannot see you, and no one will know if you step away.
We will ask everyone to keep personal details out of the chat, out of care for others in the audience. A list of supports, including French-language resources in Ontario and Quebec, will be shared with all registrants.
Registration
This event is free. Registration is required.
About Conference 365
Conference 365 is a new joint initiative of the Association for Opera in Canada and Orchestras Canada. We’ve designed it – following the success of the O₂ Conference in Edmonton – to sustain the important conversations, learning and connections sparked there. As a year-round virtual series (no travel required!), Conference 365 offers ongoing opportunities for artists, administrators and sector leaders to connect, reflect and grow together across the performing arts sector.
This screening is presented in partnership with the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians.
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]