A 13-year-old musician is blowing people away with his violin hip-hop routines at NBA games across the U.S.
Giovanni Mazza is changing the violin game by branching off from the classical music many expect from violinists. Instead, he's putting on shows like never before with hip-hop music that hypes up crowds at professional basketball games.
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His skill is taking him to new places, with more and more teams hosting him for halftime shows.
“I just love to perform, and the violin has been like a vehicle for me to perform all around the country,” he told InsideEdition.com, speaking from the green room of the Wells Fargo Center while waiting to take center court for the halftime show at a recent Philadelphia 76ers game.
Mazza, a Chicago native, has been playing the instrument since he was 3, when he enrolled in group violin classes and his parents would have to bribe him with toys and other things to practice.
At age 9, his parents entered him into the Chicago Bulls Kids Talent Search contest, where young musicians and singers take the court at the United Center at halftime and do their best to impress fans.
Even then, he wasn't all that interested.
“I didn't have any interest in the contest,” Mazza told InsideEdition.com. "My mom was like, ‘Well, we'll do it for the free tickets.’ So, I did it.”
He didn't win the competition, but he certainly gained recognition -- and started a nationwide tour.
The Bulls were so impressed by his performance that they asked him to perform during the 2016 NBA All-Stars Rising Stars game in Toronto.
Since then, Mazza has played in more than a dozen cities and venues, including Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Mazza has posted some of his recent performances, including one where dancers joined him at a Utah Jazz game.
Utah Jazz looking Alive for the W last night. Thank you @utahjazz for bringing me back. Always a pleasure to perform with @UtahJazzDancers #TakeNote #UtahJazz #nba #grateful pic.twitter.com/8V0IaZ5ju6
— Giovanni Mazza (@giovanniviolin) November 10, 2018
Click here to learn more about Mazza, and see more of his performances on his Twitter page.
You can also see Mazza perform during halftime when the Orlando Magic take on the Golden State Warriors at the Amway Center in Orlando on Feb. 28.