At an age when most kids are jamming on pots and pans and courting all sorts of nerve-fraying cacophony, Matt Savage hated noise of any sort, be it cartoons, classical symphonies or everyday conversations that grew a bit animated.

"I didn't even like the sound of my parents singing 'Happy Birthday,' " recalled Savage, 16, now a piano prodigy who's performed with the likes of Chick Corea and Chaka Khan and hobnobbed with David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Katie Couric.

"It's kind of ironic, actually," said Savage, who will perform at Church Landing in Meredith next Sunday, in a benefit concert for Lakes Region Community Services. A New England native who now lives in Francestown, Savage intersperses his high-profile gigs with concerts that advance causes he cares about.

"He's really just a goodhearted individual," said Savage's mom, Diane. "If an organization helps other people, he always seems to want to find the time."

Diane Savage still marvels at the transformation her son has made since he was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a high-functioning type of autism, at age 3. As part of his therapy, Savage completed a special auditory integration program at age 6 to retrain his ears and make them less sensitive to sound.

And his world opened up. "He asked his first question, he noticed the hair on my husband's arms, he smelled things for the first time," said Diane Savage. "We went for a walk and it was a beautiful spring day, and he heard a bird and he said, 'What's that?' "

The therapy also unlocked an astonishing gift, essentially turning Savage's aversion to sound inside out. The youngster soon discovered the piano and taught himself to read music. Recognizing his talent, his parents enrolled him at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he recorded his first solo album. That same year, at age 8, he performed for jazz great Dave Brubeck, who called him "amazing."

Savage soon went on to garner international recognition and perform at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln Center, all the while composing and recording.

And at 16, he's not slowing down. This year he released his eighth CD, Hot Ticket: Live in Boston, claimed the No. 2 position in live jazz sales on Amazon.com and performed on The Late Show with David Letterman.

"It was short but sweet," Savage said of his Letterman appearance, where he played one of his Latin-tinged compositions, "El Fuego." "I only had three minutes to play, so I kind of condensed it a bit, but without compromising the quality . . . it was over before I knew it."

Savage's Conan O'Brien gig in December 2006 was more fun, he confesses. "Conan O'Brien is the funnest guy. He's young and hip and edgy . . . I remember talking with him about the world's most expensive omelet, which was at the hotel I was staying at." (That would be $1,000, at Le Parker Meridien in New York.)

Savage is decidedly not the type to be ordering $1,000 omelets, though. Labeled a "supergenius" by the medical community, he keeps his gift in perspective, practicing piano a modest 60-90 minutes a day and finding time to help out on the family farm.

"It's really funny because sometimes he'll be moping around the house and he'll say, 'I really don't feel like practicing today,' and in unison, my husband and I say, 'Well then don't,' " said Diane Savage, who travels with her son and helps him book appearances but insists upon only one title: Mom. "We want him to be in control of his own career. . . He decides what he plays, when he plays, where he plays. It's always been that way."

Savage certainly has no trouble with the what. He composed nearly all the tracks on his latest CD, a gumbo of Latin songs, ballads, funky numbers and a Miles Davis cover, performed with his new sidemen Dave Robaire and Joe Saylor. "It's a fun little upbeat CD . . . it's got a lot of variety packed into an album," he said.

Nor is Savage concerned that he's set the bar so high for himself at such a young age. "The key word is 'more,' " he said. "You can't just stop at anything. I'm going to keep creating new albums, each one different from the last . . . I'm going to keep throwing stuff at people."

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