Broadway star Sutton Foster kicks off the 82nd Thomasville Entertainment Foundation season September 28.

At a recent reception for volunteers, donors, season ticket holders and trustees, Thomasville Entertainment Foundation unveiled its line-up of artists and ensembles for the organization’s 82nd performance season.

The diverse line-up includes a renowned piano trio, one of Broadway’s biggest stars in cabaret, an acclaimed American string orchestra, a virtuoso jazz pianist, an ensemble of classical voices and dancers from America’s premiere modern dance company.

“We are very excited about the upcoming season, and we are strongly encouraging people to purchase a season ticket package to ensure they have a seat for the concerts they are most interested in,” advised TEF Artistic and Executive Director Rick Ivey. “We fully expect many of these six concerts and events to sell out very quickly, and we don’t want anyone to be disappointed.”

TEF’s 2019-20 series opens at the Thomasville Center for the Arts on September 26 with two-time Tony Award winning actress-singer-dancer Sutton Foster, “one of Broadway brightest lights,” according to Ivey. Foster will perform in an intimate voice-and-piano cabaret setting, accompanied by noted Broadway music director Michael Rafter.

With 11 lead roles on Broadway to her credit and a strong television resume, Foster is set to portray Marian the Librarian in a just-announced musical revival of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” starring opposite Hugh Jackman as Professor Harold Hill during New York’s 2020-21 Broadway season.

The acclaimed Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio will return to TEF on October 22. One of the world’s top classical piano trios over their 40-plus-year history, Joseph Kalichstein, piano; Jaime Laredo, violin; and Sharon Robinson, cello, appeared in Thomasville in 2005 soon after establishing the KLRITA International Trio Award with support from Thomasville Entertainment Foundation and its founder, Emily Searcy. Still at the top of their craft, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio is highly sought after by top chamber music festivals and concerts.

The season continues February 1, 2020 — at the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium — with the Ailey II company of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, arguably America’s greatest modern dance company that recently celebrated 60 years, Ivey said. Funded through TEF’s Education Fund, Ailey II also will lead several educational outreach programs and classes during their time in Thomasville, exposing young dancers to their dazzling dance techniques.

Next up, February 13, is the Bel Canto Trio, a classical vocal ensemble consisting of a noted soprano, tenor and bass-baritone. A reimagining of the famous Bel Canto Trio of the 1940s, the new Bel Canto Trio made up of soprano Julie Adams, tenor Joshua Guerrero and bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee will perform the same repertoire, featuring some of opera’s greatest familiar arias, duets and trios, accompanied by pianist and music director Christopher Allen.

Classically trained pianist Aaron Diehl brings his lively jazz trio to Thomasville March 10. Trained at Juilliard, Diehl has served as music director for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s New Orleans Songbook series and is considered a major jazz virtuoso and composer — and a breath of fresh air in the world’s jazz scene, according to critics. Aaron Diehl will also lead an educational outreach program for local students as part of his Thomasville appearance.

The Boston-based chamber group, A Far Cry, wraps up the season on March 24. A Far Cry is an 18-member string orchestra, performing many of their pieces from memory, including works by Elgar, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. Ivey added that A Far Cry is dedicated to passing on the spirit of collaboratively-empowered music to the next generation, and TEF is working to arrange an educational outreach opportunity with local strings students.

“Reaction to our exciting new season has been strong and very positive, and we are just beginning the process of season ticket renewals with our current series subscribers,” said TEF President Charlotte Brown.

Brown said new season ticket sales to the public will begin June 15, either online at www.TEFconcerts.com or by phone at (229) 226-7404, and individual concert tickets will be released for sale, subject to availability, July 1.

Season tickets are available in three option packages. TEF’s Variations Series includes An Evening with Sutton Foster, Ailey II and the Aaron Diehl Trio, while the Classics Series features the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, the Bel Canto Trio and A Far Cry. The Complete Series encompasses the entire six-performance lineup.

Purchasing season tickets not only guarantees patrons a seat for sold-out concerts, but buying a series in advance also provides significant savings versus individual ticket purchases.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m., most taking place at the Thomasville Center for the Arts, with the exception of Ailey II, whose dancers require the larger stage at the Municipal Auditorium.

“This upcoming season builds on Thomasville Entertainment Foundation’s long legacy of bringing the best of the best to Thomasville from a number of different performing arts fields,” added Brown. “We are very grateful to our trustee-based program committee members for their dedicated efforts to put together such an acclaimed and diverse series of artists and ensembles.”

Founded in 1937, TEF is a volunteer-powered, non-profit organization celebrating 82 years of entertaining the community. In addition to its annual season of performances by acclaimed artists, TEF offers a dedicated family series of presentations geared to families and younger children, provides educational outreach programs for students and awards performing arts scholarships and grants to promising young artists.