Meet the 16-Year-Old Musical Prodigy Who Is Stunning the Internet

Ithai Benisho, a 16-year-old from Ashdod on the autism spectrum, has become an internet sensation after a video of him playing the piano with his back turned went viral. Ithai has never formally studied piano and cannot read sheet music, yet he has the remarkable ability to play any song purely by listening to it.

For a decade, Ithai has been receiving treatment at the Child Development Institute at the Safra Children's Hospital. At the inauguration of the institute's new facility, he amazed attendees by flawlessly playing a full composition with his back to the keyboard. The video quickly spread across the internet, even making its way onto various news programs.

Ithai told News 12, "If I hear a song once or twice, I can play it by ear," adding that he particularly enjoys music from the 1980s.

Ithai's mother, Edith, shares that he did not speak until he was four years old. "When he was younger, we focused more on the future... our thoughts were so far ahead that over time, we learned that each day we see some progress gives us hope and broadens our perspective," she said. "We are very satisfied with how things are going; we are really looking towards tomorrow."

Recently, Ithai has begun to perform in front of audiences and uses the opportunity to speak about his experiences as a teenager on the autism spectrum. "I’m actually proud of being autistic, and I’m not ashamed to share it with everyone. I think people need to understand what it means. Autism is not an illness, not contagious, and not a curse."

Dr. Aya Shiloh-Hadas, a specialist in child development at the Safra Children's Hospital in Sheba, explained to News 12 that "Ithai's playing isn't just a mechanical skill, which we sometimes see in children on the autism spectrum; it truly comes from a place of love and passion. He is truly gifted, a musician with immense talent."