Artist's Bio
Lara St. John, violin
Described as "something of a phenomenon" by The Strad magazine and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times, Canadian born violinist Lara St. John has performed as soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Seattle, the Boston Pops, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and many more in North America. In Europe, she has played with the NDR Symphony (Hanover), the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the Amsterdam Symphony, among others.
The Los Angeles Times has written, “St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion.”
Lara at 17
Ms. St John has appeared frequently in Asia, with the Hong Kong Symphony, the Tokyo Symphony, the China Philharmonic in Beijing, the Guangzhou Symphony, the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, and in recital in the Forbidden City. She has also performed with the Queensland Symphony in Australia.
Recitals on major concert stages have included New York, Boston, San Francisco, Ravinia, Washington, DC, Prague, Berlin, Toronto and Montreal, to name a few.
A successful recording artist, Lara St. John’s debut CD, Bach: Works for Violin Solo, has sold over 40,000 copies and received resounding acclaim. The Chicago Tribune described Ms. St. John as having “superb technique and an irresistible vitality,” while US News and World Report called the recording “an exquisite performance".
Her second album, Gypsy, was described as “A sizzling display” by Gramophone, and The Strad called her "an electrifying player, as deeply satisfying in Bach as she is bewitchingly seductive in Waxman's Carmen Fantasy". Her third recording, Bach: the Concerto Album, again received favorable reviews with Gramophone placing the disc in its strongly recommended section, saying, "It is difficult to argue with such a technically dazzling and unfailingly musical interpretation." In June of 2005 the recording was released on iTunes where it immediately jumped to No. 1 in the classical category. Ms. St. John has also recorded for Sony Classical.
Lara today
Ms. St. John has been featured in People, US News and World Report, on CNN's Showbiz Today, Fox News, and NPR's All Things Considered, as well as an hour long Bravo! Special entitled Live At the Rehearsal Hall.
Lara St. John began playing the violin when she was 2 years old. She made her first appearance as soloist with orchestra at age 4, and made her European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon when she was 10. She toured Spain, France, Portugal and Hungary at ages 12 and 13, entered the Curtis Institute at 13, and spent her first summer at Marlboro three years later. Her teachers over the years have included Felix Galimir, David Takeno, Arnold Steinhardt, and Joey Corpus.
Currently, she performs on the 1779 “Salabue” Guadagnini thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co. of Toronto.
Upcoming releases include the six solo Sonatas and Partitas of Johan Sebastian Bach, as well as a recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, featuring two world premiere works by Matthew Hindson and Martin Kennedy, and The Red Violin Suite by John Corigliano.