Naveen Joseph plays at his home in Elmhurst on Dec. 9. The youth can play complicated pieces of music and only needs to read music once before committing it to memory. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)
On a recent afternoon when Naveen Joseph’s mother asked him to play something on the piano, he looked away in concentration — as if he was pulling the piece of music out of his mental files — then turned to the piano and began to play from memory. The song was “Fleur de Lis” and what is remarkable is Naveen is just 8 years old. He only has to look at the music once to commit it to memory and never has to look at the music again. “If you give him a song one time, he reads it and it’s memorized. Once he gets the tune he just goes,” Naveen’s mother, Ancy Joseph, said. He doesn’t really have a favorite song to play. “I like all of them,” he said. The Josephs live in Elmhurst and attend St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral in Bellwood, where Naveen plays the piano for the 9:30 a.m. English Mass on Sundays. In the family’s living room is a cabinet filled with trophies, medals and awards Naveen has received through music or academic competitions. There are also a few for his sister Navya, who likes to dance. The piano where Naveen practices is next to a mantle which holds a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the words “Bless Our Home” along with images of Mary of Perpetual Help and the Holy Family. Naveen has performed around the Chicago area, including during an Oct. 26 visit by Cardinaldesignate George Alencherry to St. Vincent de Paul Church in Chicago. The archbishop is the head of the Syro-Malabar Church, located mostly in India, and paid a visit to DePaul University’s Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology. An observer at the event said she thought a professional player was at the piano and was surprised when she finally saw that the pianist was a boy. Naveen began playing the piano formally in July 2007, when he was 4 and a half years old. When he was around 2 he started playing about on a piano keyboard. “We learned that he had something there,” his mom said of those early years. Naveen first made music by himself in 2009. Father Antony Thundathil was rector of the cathedral until 2011 and encouraged Naveen’s parents to have him join the children’s choir. “When I once visited his family I saw him playing piano so beautifully at early age of 4,” Thundathil wrote in an email. Naveen’s parents wanted him to wait until he was at least 6 years old to join. Thundathil, who is now vicar general of St. Thomas Diocese, said he wanted Naveen to join the choir to inspire other youth and because no other youth played the piano. “Though in the beginning I was a little concerned about what would be the reaction of the people, I heard only positive and encouraging comments from the people once Naveen started playing,” Thundathil wrote. He first played piano in the church choir on June 28, 2010. “I remember the day because it was my first piano class,” said Naveen, who also has a gift for recalling dates and facts. Naveen’s father, Sunny Joseph, said his son has “a lot of fans” and he hopes one day that he can play for cancer patients as a type of music therapy. When did Naveen realize he had a gift from God? “My parents told me,” he said. Each night the family has prayer time together where they say the rosary, read the Bible and pray. During that time they thank God for the gifts he has given both Naveen and his sister, Sunny Joseph said. Math is Naveen’s favorite subject and one day he hopes to be a scientist and study cosmology.