In a story, “Abused, then Mocked,” recently reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Canadian violinist Lara St. John alleges her teacher, Jascha Brodsky, at the Curtis Institute of Music, repeatedly sexually abused her when she was a student there, and that when she reported it, her claims were ignored.
St. John was 14 when she began studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She had taken to the violin early—as had her slightly older brother, who also attended Curtis—and arrived at the tuition-free, highly selective school in part to study with violinist and pedagogue Jascha Brodsky, who was then 78. St. John says the abuse began soon after her arrival, and culminated in his raping her. She claims that after speaking to administration and finding no recourse, she changed teachers, and eventually, after attempting suicide, left Curtis altogether.
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To read the entirety of the Philadelphia Inquirer article, with links detailing the Curtis Institute’s reactions to the piece, click here.