The Globe and Mail, July 22, 1999

Young talent sizzles in debut NAC performance

Violinist Lara St. John gave sizzling demonstrations of why [she is one] of Canada's hottest young talents.

From the prelude's soulful solo entry to the richly Romantic later movements, she treated Ottawa to a superbly resonant, technically secure interpretation of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. Her 1702 Lyall Stradivarius violin doesn't have a huge sound, but she coaxed a sweet tone from it in the solo passages.