| entertainment |
TEF prepares for
milestone 85 th performance season
In January 1937 , Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the United States , Eugene Talmadge was completing his second term as Georgia ’ s governor and the country was still struggling to make its way out of the Great Depression as a significant recession loomed . Cy Young was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame , millionaire aviator Howard Hughes set the record for transcontinental air travel and the world ’ s longest running soap opera , “ The Guiding Light ,” aired for the first time on NBC radio .
In Europe , the Spanish Civil War was raging , and Germany ’ s Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler was setting the stage for future invasions of Austria , Czechoslovakia and Poland .
And , in south Georgia , soprano Agnes Davis performed a recital of operatic works in Thomasville High School ’ s auditorium on Glenwood Drive . Held on January 18 , 1937 , it was the first concert for the organization that would evolve into today ’ s Thomasville Entertainment Foundation .
Now , more than eight decades later , TEF is unveiling its milestone 85th performance season , with a diverse lineup of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles . Renewals for existing season ticket holders began in early June , and TEF ’ s box office volunteers are now accepting new season subscriptions for the series , which kicks off this fall .
The season opens in October with an evening of chamber music performed by two powerhouse soloists and the Juilliard School ’ s resident string quartet . Canadian violinist Lara St . John and American pianist and composer Matt Herskowitz join the dynamic Ulysses Quartet for a program of 19th and 20th century Romantic and Impressionist works by French composers Chausson , Debussy and Ravel .
Ulysses Quartet - October
Fast forward to November , and a cabaret concert version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical , “ Ain ’ t Misbehavin ’,” comes to Thomasville . With live music and five singing actors , the show is a tribute to the musicians of the Harlem Renaissance , bringing to life the Golden Age of America ’ s jazz palaces in a swinging musical revue with hits from legendary composer “ Fats ” Waller .
Photo by M . Holler
10 June | July 2022 Thomasville Scene