Jacob Rock had not spoken a word in 16 years.
In Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, this autistic young man spent much of his life without a reliable way to express what he was thinking. That changed when he began writing on an iPad, after seven years of practice. Six months after succeeding, he told his parents something no one expected: he had a complete symphony stored in his mind.
Together with musician Rob Laufer, Jacob described every sound, every emotion, every image he wanted to convey, until they became an orchestral score in six movements. On September 30, 2023, 54 students from the USC Thornton School of Music performed ‘Unforgettable Sunrise’ before a packed Alex Theatre in Glendale. Before the first note sounded, Jacob wrote on his iPad: ‘This symphony is my story; enjoy being inside my head for 70 minutes.’ For years, no one could hear him. That night, everyone did.
