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Paul Frucht is from Danbury, CT. His music has recently been performed across the United States by the San Diego Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Orchestra, the Chelsea Symphony, American Modern Ensemble, and many others ensembles. A 2015 receipient of a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Paul is currently a D.M.A candidate at Juilliard, where he also earned a Master of Music Degree in 2013, studying with Robert Beaser. Paul earned a Bachelor of Music Degree from NYU, where he studied with Justin Dello Joio. Paul is currently an adjunct faculty member at NYU and is artistic director of the Danbury Chamber Music Intensive, a music festival and concert series he founded this past summer in Danbury, CT that champions the work of Danbury native, Charles Ives, as well as today’s living American composers.
Read the ’15 Questions’ interview with Paul
Paul writes about Dawn:
Dawn Hochsprung was an incredible person I had the fortune of meeting when I was a student at Roger’s Park Middle School from 2000- 2003, where she was an assistant principal. I worked with both her and her husband, George, as a member of National Junior Honor Society. When the tragic events occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012, I, like everyone else in the Danbury area, was shocked and deeply saddened. The Hochsprungs had always stuck out in my mind as not just outstanding teachers, but some of the most caring, genuine, and positive people that I had come across during my time growing up in Danbury. I felt immediately compelled to write something for George and also for the other families who lost loved ones.
I titled the piece Dawn not simply because it is dedicated to her, but because the nature of Dawn’s actions on the day of shooting are the inspiration for the character of this piece. When she became aware that her school was in danger, her immediate response was to protect the children of the school. She put herself in harm’s way in an entirely selfless act in an effort to save the lives of her students. Her legacy is one of selflessness, positivity, and extraordinary courage. This piece celebrates that legacy.