LARA ST. JOHN
 Violinist Lara St. John has been described as "something of a phenomenon" by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times has written, “St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion.” She has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including Cleveland, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and the Boston Pops. In Europe, she has played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Symphony (Hanover), Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Bournemouth Symphony, and the Amsterdam Symphony, among others. In Asia, solo appearances have included the Hong Kong Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, China Philharmonic in Beijing, Guangzhou Symphony and the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra. Lara has also performed in Australia and Turkey.
Lara has made eight recordings. Her most recent recording Mozart, featuring her brother Scott St. John and The Knights, won the 2011 Juno Classical Album of the Year for Soloist with Large Ensemble. Her recording with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and conductor Eduardo MarturetVIVALDI– The Four Seasons and Piazzolla – The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires reached No. 2 on the iTunes charts on its first day. When her third recording, Bach: the Concerto Album, was released on iTunes, it immediately reached No.1 in the classical category!
Lara began playing the violin when she was two years old. She made her first appearance as soloist with orchestra at age four, and 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 have included Felix Galimir and Joey Corpus.
She performs on the 1779 “Salabue” Guadagnini thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co. of Toronto
Lara St. John happens to be a volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone that pours out of her like molten lava. She has technique to burn and plays at a constant high heat. She is uninhibited, sometimes strikingly so. She is the closest equivalent to a Janis Joplin on the current classical concert scene. LA Times, Nov. 14, 2011
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PRESS RELEASE (PDF) 10/24/2011
Corigliano to be composer in residence for SoBe Arts’ American music festival - South Florida Classical Review 11/10
Composer Corigliano to guest at SoBe Arts string fest - Knight Arts 9/2
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SoBe Institute of the Arts 2011/2012 season is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council and the City of Miami Beach, as well as private foundations and individual donors. Series sponsors and individual matching contributions help us to keep our events free or low cost to all. Please consider sponsoring one or more events or making a tax deductible donation to SoBe Institute of the Arts, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit arts education and performance organization. For more information contact (305) 674-9220.