Lara has been selected as the third recipient of the $125,000 Prix Goyer, Canada’s largest prize for classical music.
About 
Lara Deutsch is determined to change what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century.
The moment she walks onstage, full of natural exuberance, warmth and with an infectious smile, she makes you an active part of the adventure. Lara rejects classical formality in favour of musical spontaneity, offering concerts designed to take you on a dynamic narrative journey.
Lara grew up in suburban Ottawa listening to the Backstreet Boys and Claude Debussy. At three she started piano lessons; at six she was studying flute.
She was an ace student in high school and her teachers encouraged her to study medicine. But music was her passion, with a healing power all its own.
Since completing two degrees at McGill University in Montreal, Lara has been a busy freelancer with a mantel full of major awards: first prize from l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s Manulife Competition and the Prix Goyer, along with the grand prize at the Canadian Music Competition and the National Arts Centre’s Orchestra Bursary Competition. She’s been named a “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine and one of the 30 best musicians under 30 by the CBC.
Lara has played with every major orchestra in the country and regularly collaborates with pianists Philip Chiu and Frédéric Lacroix, guitarist Adam Cicchillitti and harpist Emily Belvedere. Among her proudest achievements are three albums, two of which were named to Top 20 lists by CBC Music.
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She credits training with a mental performance coach for much of her success. Jean François Ménard, who has coached Cirque du Soleil, Olympic athletes and major corporations all over the world, taught her how to take nervous energy and turn it into excitement, to aim for excellence instead of perfection and to feel comfortable taking artistic risks.
Mental skills training is as important as practicing scales, she believes. In addition to being on faculty at Carleton University, Lara offers workshops around the world to share her own experience with young musicians.
“If you’re a musician, winning a job or competition often comes down to who does well in a two-minute audition,” she says. “Olympic athletes train their entire lives for a two-minute race. You need to be able to do your best in a moment of great intensity and stress. That takes practice.”
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Ultimately, Lara sees music as a gift that connects people, across generations, borders and backgrounds.
“Music can help us to recognize that we are not alone,” she says. “I love to be a part of that process — touching the heart, even for a moment, of everyone in the audience.”
Biography written by Denise Ball
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Lara performs on a 14k gold Haynes flute, generously loaned by Canimex Inc. of Drummondville, Québec. She is incredibly grateful for the support of Mécénat Musica, the Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR in her ongoing projects, as well as for the years of invaluable guidance from her principal teachers and mentors: Denis Bluteau, Tim Hutchins, Camille Churchfield, and Cathy Baerg. She is represented by Latitude 45 Arts.
For Lara’s press biography, please click here.
Contact
For more information, please feel free to contact me:
For bookings, please contact:
Barbara Scales
Latitude 45 Arts Promotion
(514) 241-1363
www.latitude45arts.com/lara-deutsch