YouTube sensation Rhett Price proves that violins aren’t just for classical music when the University of Maine at Presque Isle hosts him for a pop violin concert on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium at Wieden Hall. This night of music is free and open to the community.

Price has taken the music world by storm, rocking his way into mainstream media with his covers of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” His take on Swift’s song went viral on social media and has garnered more than 1.8 million views on YouTube.

Price hails from Midland, Texas, and began playing the violin when he was four years old. He spent a year at Berklee College, in Boston, relentlessly taking music and performance classes. After that, he bounced between Boston and his hometown, taking up any opportunity to play that he could: a sideman for a regional band in the Austin, Texas, area to a chance to play on stage with his favorite band, The Maine, in Boston.

Price has been able to work with performers such as Mark O’Connor and Jean-Luc Ponty, who also break the stereotype that violins are just for classical music. He released his EP album, Kesha’s Mom, in 2015. The album includes everything from upbeat covers and toe-tapping original tracks, proving to the world what Price had known all along: “I think the music absolutely speaks for itself—the violin is no longer a classical music instrument.”

For more information about Rhett Price, check out his Facebook page and his Youtube channel. For more information about the performance at UMPI, call 768-9582 or email elizabeth.olsen@maine.edu.