Violin Coach Accused of Lewd Acts With Minors

A professional violinist who coaches local children with the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Elemental Strings is facing multiple felony charges stemming from alleged sexual misconduct with two minors.

Culver City resident Julian Hallmark, 46, has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges, including two counts of lewd acts on a child and one count of attempted lewd act on a child, and one misdemeanor charge of child molestation.

Hallmark has been in custody in lieu of $1 million bail since his arrest by the Culver City Police Department in February, according to jail records.

UPDATE: JAILED ON SEX ABUSE CHARGES, VIOLIN COACH FIRED

The alleged acts occurred between Oct. 1, 2011 and Feb. 4, 2012, according to court records. A police department spokesman said the alleged victims were not Hallmark's students.

Authorities are releasing few details on the investigation until a preliminary hearing is held. At that time, a judge will determine if there's enough evidence for Hallmark to stand trial.

A date for the hearing has not yet been set.

The Los Angeles County prosecutor assigned to the case has declined to comment, and Culver City Police Lt. Ron Iizuka said releasing details now would be premature.

Elemental Strings is described on its website as a small youth orchestra for elementary school-aged students in Santa Monica. The organization did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

According to a staff biography, Hallmark is a Juilliard graduate who performs regularly with the Crown City String Quartet based in Bend, OR.

— Culver City Patch editor Kelly Hartog contributed to this report.