Even though he’s only 16, Daniel Souvigny is a prodigy on the piano.

The Hampshire, Illinois native has been sitting in front of the ivories since he was five years old and has won numerous competitions with his abilities.

Since competing for the first time in 2009, Souvigny won the world championships for the Old Time Piano Playing Contest three times in the Junior Division. At 15, he became the youngest person ever to place in the adult division of the contest. This past summer, he trained with one of Russia’s top professors in St. Petersburg. Not to mention, he also has two albums under his belt.

Tonight, he’ll be playing a concert at Ole Miss to help promote the Old Time Piano Playing Contest which will be held over Memorial Day Weekend on the campus.

“I’m going to be doing a musical timeline of sorts,” Souvigny says of his plans for the show. “I’ll be starting out with early ragtime, going through stride and swing and ending with some modern jazz.”

When he’s not playing piano, Souvigny keeps himself busy by playing the violin, drums and electric guitar.

“I love playing music, it doesn’t just have to be the piano,” he said. “I’ve always loved music and it’s always been a constant inspiration for me. Whether it’s finding new artists, learning new tunes, or coming up with new ideas on how to play the instrument.”

Dr. Ian Hominick, the Assistant Chair of the Ole Miss Music Department and artistic director of the Old Time Piano Playing Contest, referred to Souvigny as “an anomaly in the music business.”

“He’s a very level-headed guy and for his age, he’s accomplished quite a bit,” Hominick said. “He’s as good a classical as he is a player of more contemporary styles. One of the nice things about Daniel is that he doesn’t cave in to the commercial end of things where people are more technique driven and playing loud and fast just for the sake of it. He’s a very musical player, he listens to what he does.”

Souvigny will take the stage in the Nutt Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.olemissboxoffice.com.