Sandra Aranegui, 39 / Owner, Lover’s Rock Productions
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.
- Executive board member of the Smith Mountain Arts Council
- Works with the Coves of Smith Mountain Lake to bring the new “Emerging Artists Series” which involves securing local opening acts for nationally touring musical acts
- Has amassed a Facebook following of over 18,000 individuals across two groups and two professional pages through her commitment in promoting live music around Smith Mountain Lake, Roanoke, Franklin County – to include Rocky Mount, and parts of Bedford, Martinsville, and Lynchburg
From the Nomination: “Sandra Aranegui is extremely genuine, kind, and compassionate, which has attributed to her success in relating to the public and everyone she works with individually. Sandra is a natural at networking and creates relationships with ease. She has really built up the area’s live music scene and singlehandedly contributed to a new and innovative music culture for our community. This is only the beginning, and I am excited to see where she will take us in years to come. Aranegui created Lover’s Rock Productions and Smith Mountain Lake Live Music, which are two quickly growing companies dedicated to live music events for the community. Through her long-standing career in project management, it is no wonder that coordinating multiple events every weekend comes easily to her. … In addition to coordinating community events involving live music, Aranegui sits on the executive board of the Smith Mountain Arts Council, whose mission is to “bring together the arts and the communities surrounding Smith Mountain Lake. It fosters participation in and enjoyment of the visual, performing and literary arts. It is committed to educational outreach.” The Smith Mountain Arts Council raises funds for scholarships for rising college students pursuing Fine Arts Programs. … Aranegui is extremely selfless. She is actively engaged in the community for the right reasons – to bring folks together through the love of music. She is not motivated by monetary gain, as she puts everything she might happen to make right back into the music and the community. Aranegui’s business model for booking is very different than other promoters in that she never takes a cut from any musician for her services. Aranegui has impressed me with her intelligence, dedication and commitment to her career while at the same time being a single mom of three children. She has the extraordinary ability to manage her life in such a way that she maintains a full-time professional position in software development project management, started new businesses, schedules, promotes, and markets live music and entertainment weekly for area live music venues.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
Aranegui: “There is so much talent in our community. There are also so many small businesses embracing and supporting live music which provide a creative outlet for musicians to perform and share their talents, all while bringing a fun and inclusive experience for everyone to enjoy. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a beautiful and amazing community.”
How does your passion impact our community?
Aranegui: “The appreciation for music is something that brings people together in a positive way, unlike anything else I have ever witnessed. With as much divisiveness as there appears to be out there, live music and events involving live music have the ability to unite individuals across all cultural, political, or religious beliefs on a subconscious level. Music has the ability to soothe a broken heart. It 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. My goal is to help create as many of these experiences as possible.”
