10 year old piano prodogy advocates

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On center stage, 10-year-old Jacob Velazquez played with the flowing dexterity of a seasoned pianist, fingers delicately whisking over the grand piano keys on center stage.

As he breezed through Frederic Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu,” Jacob occasionally took a second to smile, look at the audience or down at his family, sitting in the front row of Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College.

But it might have been what he said between pieces during the 20-minute performance by what many are calling a “piano prodigy” which might have had the most profound impact on the hundreds of children gathered to watch him play.

“Hi everyone. I’m really excited to show people that just because you have autism, it doesn’t mean you’re not smart, talented and capable of great things,” he said.

Jacob was the featured performer at Sunday’s Imperial Symphony Orchestra’s Cookie Concert. Presented by Publix Super Markets Charities, the annual ISO concert is a family- and children-friendly way to spend a few hours listening to a professional symphony orchestra.

At about 3 years old, Jacob was diagnosed with a form of high-functioning autism. Not long afterwards, he rapidly began excelling at the piano, quickly moving to harder and more difficult compositions. He has been accepted into the Miami International Piano Festival Academy, partnered with Nova Southeastern University, where he is the youngest of about 40 mostly adult students.