Sandra Aranegui launched Lover’s Rock Productions and Smith Mountain Lake Live Music (a DBA of Lover’s Rock Productions, a not-for-profit booking and promoting business) in September 2021, focusing on community events and festivals involving live music. She books musical talent for a total of 18 different restaurants, bars and breweries, and offers a weekly listing of live music and community events for the area. She launched the first annual Smith Mountain Lake Live Music Festival with Center in the Square as a beneficiary, a huge success with a combined 32 bands, eight total stages and five additional satellite venues. She works closely with Franklin County, the Town of Rocky Mount, CruisIn Rocky Mount and local business owners to coordinate music events for everyone. She is currently working on forming her own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called “Live Music Lives On,” focusing on fostering the love for live music in children to promote and inspire our youth to follow their dreams of performing live music, bringing together current performing musicians and children and more. “[Music] has the ability to bring joy to someone who has had a hard week. It has the ability to form bonds in friendships and love. It’s really a remarkable thing to witness,” she says.
