Acclaimed Violinist Lara St. John Says She Was Sexually Assaulted by Her Teacher at the Curtis Institute

Internationally acclaimed violinist Lara St. John came forward this week with allegations that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her 79-year-old teacher at Philadelphia’s elite Curtis Institute of Music when she was a student. St. John told The Philadelphia Inquirer she reported the alleged abuse, by renowned violinist Jascha Brodsky, to the school’s dean at the time—in 1986—and that she was mocked for it. The school’s then-dean, Robert Fitzpatrick, allegedly told her: “Oh, for God’s sake, who do you think they’re going to believe? Some 15-year-old kid or someone who has been here for decades?” Fitzpatrick adamantly denied the account when interviewed by the Inquirer, calling it “nonsense.” Brodsky died in 1997.