FRISCO, Texas — Lucas Yeh first picked up the violin when he was just 4 years old.
Nine years later, and he's going to perform somewhere many musicians can only dream of: Carnegie Hall.
Lucas, 13, will get the chance to play the famed venue after he won second place in the American Protege International Music Competition, a prestigious contest.
He beat out thousands of other violinists from around the world to do so. That awarded him the chance to perform in a recital at Carnegie Hall in June.
His talent with a violin was evident early on, his mother Cindy Lin said. She herself is a musician who teaches classical piano, and she said she gets goosebumps sometimes while listening to her son perform.
"I often want to turn off the world and turn on the music," she said.
"Every phrase matters, every note matters, and you have to build that connection."
The 13-year-old said he wants to be a physician like his father when he grows up because he wants to help people.
But before he goes down that path, he said he's excited to see where the violin takes him.
"I like the smell of the wood. It smells like a cozy fireplace," Lucas said.
And he won't just be going to Carnegie Hall this summer-- he will also be going around the globe to Taiwan to attend a prestigious music academy that starts in July.