TORONTO!
Please mobilize.
Dear Friends and Enemies in and near Toronto,
Please get out on April 20 to the Canadian premiere of Dear Lara. This is a documentary film about the classical music industry with global implications. This is, in my view, the most important film ever made about our industry—screw Tár, Amadeus, and Fantasia.
Tár, of course, is about a fictional woman conductor at the top of the field (because, let’s face it, that can only be a fiction), Amadeus helped to make everyone’s favorite composer more famous and lovable, and Fantasia typecast bassoons as broomsticks for all eternity.
Dear Lara is more important and real than all of that. It is especially important that the Canadian premiere takes place in Toronto, home of the Royal Conservatory of Music. One of the many compelling subjects of Dear Lara is Lusiana Lukman. Her harrowing allegations of abuse at the RCM recently broke in the Toronto Star. To my knowledge, the RCM hasn’t announced any investigation into these allegations. Most institutions—maybe even all musical institutions—only do the right thing when their hand is absolutely forced.
Doing right only happens at the very end of the line, after all attempts to hide have failed.
Please go out, if you can at all, to support these brave Canadian women telling their stories on their home turf. Please bring your friends. Email them, invite them, encourage them, make an event. Please talk about what you saw.
The tickets are super reasonably priced, but if you want me to buy you a ticket, I will. Just DM me and I will be happy to. I have sponsored tickets already for some special guests I hope will come—Peter Simon, Alexander Brose, and Barry Shiffman of the RCM, whom have all been invited. I hope they will be inspired, like I know you will be.
Tickets here.