Lara St. John (born April 15, 1971) is a Canadian violinist.
Early life
Lara St. John was born in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, and spent her early childhood there.
[John Terauds, "Violinist Lara St. John Keeps Herself Guessing," '']Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', October 22, 2009. As the daughter of two educators (her father was a language teacher and her mother a music instructor), she and her older brother
Scott were encouraged at an early age to develop musical talents.
[Sarah Hampson, "Wild Child with a Violin," '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' (Canada), August 10, 2002.
St. John began playing the violin at the age of two and the following year she began her first lessons with the instructor Richard Lawrence. She gave her first public performance as soloist with an orchestra by age four.
In 1976, at the age of five, she began making frequent trips with her mother and brother to Cleveland, Ohio, where the young St. John worked under the instruction of Linda Cerone. In 1979, she spent a year in Paris studying with Gérard Jarry. In 1980, at the age of 9, she won grand prize at the Canadian Music Competition.
[Peter Goddard]
"Violinist Lara St. John trying to bring Bach and friends to a younger crowd,"
''Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', November 5, 1998.
At age 10, St. John made her European debut with the
Gulbenkian Orchestra
The Gulbenkian Orchestra ( pt, Orquestra Gulbenkian) is a Portuguese symphony orchestra based in Lisbon. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the ''Grande Auditório'' (Grand Auditorium) of the Gulbenkian Foundation. The orchestra, which was f ...
in Lisbon, after which she spent three years touring the continent, including Spain, France, and Hungary.
Accepted at the age of thirteen, St. John entered the
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship.
Hi ...
in Philadelphia, where she later received her degree. She studied under
Felix Galimir
Felix Galimir (May 20, 1910, Vienna – November 10, 1999, New York) was an Austrian-born American violinist and music teacher.
Born in a Sephardic Jewish family Vienna; his first language was Ladino.
Allan Kozinn,"Felix Galimir, 89, a Viol ...
and
Arnold Steinhardt.
[Arthur Kaptainis, "Lara St. John Lures Listeners," ''Gazette'' (Montreal), November 2, 1996.]
St. John has stated that, during her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, she was sexually assaulted by one of her instructors,
Jascha Brodsky
Jascha Brodsky (June 6, 1907 – March 3, 1997) was a Russian-American violinist and teacher.
Born in Kharkiv, in the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine), he began his violin studies with his violinist father at the ...
, when she was 14 years old.
[Tricia L. Nadolny and Peter Dobrin]
"Abused, then mocked,"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'', July 25, 2019. An investigation by the law firm Cozen O'Connor, commissioned by the Curtis Board, found St.John's claims to be credible.The Board unanimously accepted the law firm's report.
In 1985, St. John participated in the
Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists
The Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists (or simply the Menuhin Competition) is an international music competition for violinists under the age of 22. It was founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1983 with the goal of nurturing you ...
, winning 4th price in the Junior division.
In 1988, when she was sixteen, she moved on her own to the former Soviet Union, becoming the youngest post-graduate student at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
. In that same year, St. John traveled throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where she encountered the
Romani people
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...
, a cultural experience that would later influence her musical performance projects.
St. John eventually returned to her studies and attended three different academies: the
Guildhall School
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...
in London (under David Takeno),
Mannes College of Music
Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School ca ...
in New York (under Felix Galimir), and the
New England Conservatory
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...
(NEC) in Boston (under James Buswell).
Career
Notable performances
In North America, St. John has performed as a soloist with major symphony orchestras that include those of Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, the
Boston Pops
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart.
Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
,
the Knights
''The Knights'' ( grc, Ἱππεῖς ''Hippeîs''; Attic: ) was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, who is considered the master of an ancient form of drama known as Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of clas ...
, the
National Arts Centre Orchestra
The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NAC Orchestra) is a Canadian orchestra based in Ottawa, Ontario led by music director Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra's primary concert venue is Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Since its incepti ...
(Ottawa) and the
National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico)
The National Symphony Orchestra ( es, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, OSN) is the most important symphony orchestra in Mexico. With its origins traced back as 1881, along with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, it is the second-oldest symphony orch ...
.
In South America, she has performed with the
National Symphony Orchestra (Peru), the
Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and the
Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira
The Brazilian Symphony Orchestra ( pt, Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, OSB) is a Brazilian orchestra. Founded in 1940, it is located at Avenida Rio Branco, downtown Rio de Janeiro. It is one of the country's foremost orchestras, performing more ...
.
In Europe, her performances have been with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
,
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...
, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Marseilles Opera Orchestra, Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra,
NDR Radiophilharmonie
The NDR Radiophilharmonie is a German radio orchestra, affiliated with the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The orchestra principally gives concerts in the ''Großer Sendesaal'' of the ''Landesfunkhaus Niedersa ...
(Hanover), Mendelssohn Kammerorchester (Leipzig),
RAI National Symphony Orchestra
The RAI National Symphony Orchestra ( it, italic=no, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI) is an Italian symphony radio orchestra, owned by the public radio and television company RAI. Its primary concert venue is the Auditorium RAI in the Piaz ...
(Turin), Orchestra della Fondazione
Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi
The Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi is an opera house located in Trieste, Italy and named after the composer Giuseppe Verdi. Privately constructed, it was inaugurated as the Teatro Nuovo to replace the smaller 800-seat "Cesareo Regio Teatro di San P ...
(Trieste),
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
The Zurich Chamber Orchestra (Zürcher Kammerorchester; ZKO, German abbreviation) is a Swiss chamber orchestra based in Zurich. The ZKO's principal concert venue in Zurich is the Tonhalle. The ZKO also performs in Zurich at the Schauspielhaus Zü ...
,
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
The Norrköping Symphony Orchestra ( sv, Norrköpings Symfoniorkester) is a Swedish professional symphony orchestra. It is based at the concert hall De Geerhallen, in the center of Norrköping.
History
The orchestra was founded in 1912, a ...
(Sweden),
Oulu Symphony Orchestra
The Oulu Symphony Orchestra ( fi, Oulu Sinfonia or ') is a Finnish orchestra based in Oulu, Finland. Oulu Sinfonia gives concerts primarily at the Oulu Music Centre, in the ''Madetojan sali'' (Madetoja Concert Hall), located in the Karjasilta dis ...
(Finland), Kymenlaakson Orkesteri (Finland),
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra ('':hu:Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar, Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar'') is a chamber orchestra based in Budapest, Hungary.
The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra took the name of the great composer, to pay homage to the ge ...
(Budapest),
Hungarian National Philharmonic
The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra ( hu, Nemzeti Filharmonikus Zenekar; formerly, the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, hu, Magyar Állami Hangversenyzenekar) is one of the most prestigious symphony orchestras in Hungary. Based in t ...
,
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra ( sr, Београдска филхармонија, Beogradska filharmonija) is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country.
History
Unlike most Eur ...
and Akbank Chamber Orchestra (Istanbul).
In Asia, she has made solo appearances with the
China Philharmonic Orchestra
The China Philharmonic Orchestra (中国爱乐乐团; abbreviated CPO) is an orchestra founded in Beijing, China, on May 25, 2000, based on the previous "China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra". It is a division of the State Administration of Ra ...
(Beijing),
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Yu Long.
Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the Shanghai Public Band, expanding in 1 ...
,
Hong Kong Philharmonic
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Cantonese: 香港管弦樂團), commonly abbreviated as HKPO or HKPhil (Cantonese: 港樂), is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1947 as an amateur orchestra under the name Si ...
,
Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra
The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO; ) is an orchestra based in Guangzhou, Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The c ...
,
Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra and
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
The or TSO, was established in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra (東宝交響楽団). It assumed its present name in 1951.
Based in Kawasaki, the TSO performs in numerous concert halls and serves as pit orchestra for some productions at Ne ...
, among others. St. John has also performed with the
Queensland Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, t ...
,
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and
Australian Chamber Orchestra
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975.Verghis, Sharon"Bach with more bite pays off" ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 September 2005. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appo ...
in Australia, as well as the
Auckland Philharmonia
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall. The APO is the accompanying ensemble for performances by NZ Opera and the Royal New Zealan ...
and Southern Symphonia in New Zealand.
In 2012, she produced and performed in the 25th anniversary concert of
Astor Piazzolla
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...
’s "
Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" in New York's
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
.
[WQXR]
"Lara St. John, Pablo Ziegler & friends in Central Park"
August 7, 2012.
Groups
From 2002 to 2007, St. John performed with the Canadian music ensemble
Bowfire
Bowfire is a Canadian musical group from Ontario, featuring multiple violins, led by violinist and composer Lenny Solomon. They perform an eclectic mix of classical music, jazz, bluegrass music, celtic music, rock music, and world music. .
Instruments
In 1997, upon winning the Canada Council Stradivarius Prize, St. John was given the two-year use of a Lyall
Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...
built in 1702. In 1999, an anonymous donor made a permanent loan to St. John of the 1779 "Salabue"
Guadagnini
Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (often shortened to G. B. Guadagnini; 23 June 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history. Reprint with new introduction by Stewart Pol ...
.
Ancalagon Records
In 1999, St. John founded the artist-owned record company, Ancalagon LLC.
She formed the company as a result of her personal dissatisfaction with the marketing and production approach of larger recording companies. St. John named the record company after her pet
iguana
''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...
, Ancalagon.
Internet presence
St. John's recordings have been popular on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. Her ''Bach: The Six Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo'' was iTunes' best-selling double album of 2007. Her previous recording, ''Bach: The Concerto Album'', rose to number one in the iTunes' classical category in 2005, shortly after appearing in the "strongly recommended" section of ''
Gramophone''. ''Apolkalypse Now'', featuring St. John as a member of the group Polkastra, was released on iTunes in July 2009.
Music videos
St. John frequently produces and edits her own music videos, many of which are made available on YouTube.
These include four videos of tracks from her "Shiksa" album. She has also participated in a video project series with dancer Stephanie Cadman, evoking the parallels between folk dancing and the dance movements of JS Bach.
Recognition, notable reviews and awards
St. John's work has been featured on
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's ''
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'',
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
's ''Showbiz Today'',
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
, the
CBC, and the
Bravo!
CTV Drama Channel (formerly known as Bravo) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media.
The channel was founded as the Canadian version of the U.S. channel Bravo (which is now owned by NBCUniversal) on January 1, 1995 b ...
special series, ''Live At the Rehearsal Hall''. Three short films have been produced by Bravo! featuring St. John, ''High Wire Bach'', ''Czardas Caprice'' and ''High Flying Bach''. She has also appeared in ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
''.
At the
2008 Beijing Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
, gold medalist
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia "Nastia" Liukin (; russian: Анастасия Валерьевна Люкина ; born October 30, 1989) is a Russian-born American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic All-Around champion, a five-time Olympic medalist, ...
performed her floor routine to "Variations on Dark Eyes (Occhi Chornye)", from St. John's ''Gypsy'' album.
St. John's work has been reviewed by publications including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' and ''
U.S. News & World Report''.
Winner 2011 Juno Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment
In 2018 she served as artistic curator for
Wolf Trap
A wolf trap (Spanish ''lobera'', Italian ''luparia'') was a chase ending in a pit with trapdoor and stakes used by beaters in hunting wolves in medieval Europe.Towards a History of the Basque Language José Ignacio Hualde, Joseba A. Lakarra, Rob ...
Chamber Music at the Barns.
[Anne Midgette]
"A worthy tribute that didn't stint on the talent"
''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', April 23, 2018.
At the time of its release, St. John received attention for her then-controversial photo on the cover of her debut album, ''Bach Works for Violin Solo'' (1996).
[Adam Sandler, "Classics Swing to New Beat," ''Variety'', October 21, 1996] The photo showed her from the waist up, apparently topless, holding a violin positioned to hide her chest. The album sold over 25,000 copies, a best seller by the standards of the classical music industry.
Anne Midgette
Anne Midgette (born June 22, 1965) is an American music critic who was the first woman to write classical music criticism regularly for ''The New York Times''. She was the chief classical music critic of ''The Washington Post'' from 2008 to 2 ...
, "Young Women Find the Playing Field Is Far from Level," ''The New York Times'', May 27, 2004.
Personal life
While not on tour, St. John resides in New York City.
She feels an affinity with reptiles:
she has a five-foot-long pet iguana, Ancalagon, named after a dragon from
J.R.R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
's ''
Silmarillion''.
Her native languages are English and French; she is fluent in Spanish and Russian as well.
Discography
* 1996 – ''Bach Works for Violin Solo'', released by ''Well Tempered Productions''
* 1997 – ''Gypsy'', released by ''Well Tempered Productions''
* 2002 – ''Bach: The Concerto Album'', released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2003 – ''Re: Bach'', released by ''Sony Classical''
* 2007 – ''Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo'', released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2008 – ''Hindson: Violin Concerto; Corigliano: Suite from The Red Violin; Liszt/
Martin Kennedy/St. John: Totentanz'' released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2009 – ''Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires'' released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2010 – ''Mozart: Scott & Lara St. John / The Knights'' released by ''Ancalagon Records'' Winner 2011 Juno Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment
* 2012 – ''Bach Sonatas: Lara St. John, Violin &
Marie-Pierre Langlamet
Marie-Pierre Langlamet (born September 13, 1967) is a French harpist.
Early life and career
Langlamet was born in Grenoble. She studied at the Nice Conservatoire and began her career in her teens in the orchestra of the Opéra de Nice before cont ...
, Harp'' released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2013 – ''Bach: The Violin Concertos'', released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2014 – ''Schubert'', released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2015 – ''Shiksa'', released by ''Ancalagon Records''
* 2019 (in development) – ''Key of A - Beethoven Sonata No. 9, Opus 47 "Kreutzer", and Franck Sonata in A major, with
Matt Herskowitz, Piano'', to be released by ''Ancalagon Records''
References
External links
*
YouTube channelpage on management company website*
at jsbach.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. John, Lara
1971 births
Living people
Canadian classical violinists
Canadian people of Scottish descent
Magnatune artists
Musicians from London, Ontario
Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment winners
21st-century classical violinists
Women classical violinists
Members of the Order of Canada
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Musicians from New York City
20th-century classical violinists
20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers
21st-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers
20th-century Canadian women musicians
21st-century Canadian women musicians