You know what sounds even better than a beautiful autumn day spent at a winery? A beautiful autumn day spent at a music festival located at a winery!

In Loudoun, we prioritize pairing fine wine with tasteful tunes for a vineyard visit that appeals to all the senses. You see, we think each visitor deserves a well-rounded artisanal adventure, featuring both locally-made wine and local musicians for a uniquely Loudoun experience. Take a look through our events calendar and you'll find that you can be serenaded by the marvelous melodies of Loudoun musicians almost any weekend at our wineries ⁠— especially now that it's Virginia Wine Month.

If you enjoy picking up new wine tasting notes while swaying to catchy musical notes, come discover the sights, sounds and sips of Loudoun at the 2nd annual Sweet Jazz & Wine Festival, October 12th at Tarara Winery! Read on to learn more about the festival's founder — acclaimed recording artist, Tracy Hamlin — and how her dream for this musical masterpiece of an event came to Loudoun.

Let the Music Play

The fans of international songstress, Tracy Hamlin have all probably heard her story while attending one of her performances. Tracy has performed in nearly 60 countries and continues to woo audiences with her mesmerizing vocals. Classically trained, Hamlin writes, records and performs Jazz, R&B and Dance music. Hamlin has been recording since the age of 13 and gained popularity as the lead vocalist for the group Pieces of a Dream. Hamlin has been an independent artist, producing her own music and shows since 2005. She tells her audiences, “I couldn’t get a record deal, so I executive produced my own 1st CD. When I couldn’t get booked at certain venues, I began making deals with restaurant owners and promoting my own shows.”  

Well, these days, Hamlin a resident of Northern Virginia, now tells her audiences “When I couldn’t get booked on festivals, I started my own festival.” With the support of her husband Dr. Nat Landry, she created the Sweet Jazz & Wine Festival in 2018. Taking place at Tarara Winery, which is also marking the 20th anniversary of its concert series this year, the festival features a day of musical performances by six jazz musicians. The event also includes a charitable component. For the second year, the event will help raise money for two students from low income families to receive a year of private music instruction. As the festival grows to a multi-day event in year three, there will also be performance opportunities for local musicians as well as free master classes and workshops to assist them on their road to becoming music industry professionals.

 

- Visit Loudoun is grateful to Tracy Hamlin for providing this guest blog!