(KFVS) - The 48th Annual State Fiddler Contest will be Sunday, October 21 at the Thelma Keller Convention Center in Effingham, Ill.

Presented by the Illinois Old-Time Fiddlers Association, the contest will start at 1 p.m. General admission is $5 and children 8 years old and younger are free.

For rules, online registration and more you can click here to visit the association online. You can also e-mail questions to illinoisoldtimefiddler@gmail.com or call Ann at 217-273-2842 or Teresa at 217-682-3208.

The purpose of the Association is to preserve the old time fiddle music and to pass it on to future generations. They say they welcome and encourage fiddlers of all ages to enter. They are hoping for contestants of all ages and from all areas in Illinois.

MOUNT VERNON, IL (KFVS) - International violinist Michael Barta will perform Sunday, May 6 at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts as the final concert of the Cedarhurst Chamber Music 2011-2012 concert series.

Accompanied by pianist Paul Transue, Barta will perform works by Schubert,  Kodaly and Shostakovich. The concert, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. David Bayer and The Southern Illinoisan and cosponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Fox will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Mitchell Museum Performance Hall.

Born in Hungary, Barta attended the F.Liszt Academy in Budapest and later studied with Arthur Grumiaux. Throughout his career he has won many prestigious awards, toured the world as first violinist of the Kodaly String Quartet as well as other performance ensembles; playing in many of the well known international venues.

Barta was appointed Associate Professor of Music at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1985 and promoted to Professor in 1996.