Pinehurst Resort and the Arts Council of Moore County announce that jazz stars Tierney Sutton and Harry Allen will return to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Heart 'n Soul of Jazz.

The two-day Valentine's weekend event will take place Feb. 12-13, on Pinehurst's Cardinal Ballroom stage, a longstanding benefit for the Arts Council and its year-round programs.

Overnight packages at the hotel for the Valentine's weekend start at $195 per person, per night (double occupancy) and include a ticket to the 8 p.m. evening concert, dinner, post-concert dessert reception featuring Irish coffees, overnight accommodations with champagne delivered to the room -- and breakfast.

Individual concert tickets are also now on sale at $65 per person or $110 for both nights, including entrance to the post-concert dessert reception. A special pre-concert dinner will be featured in Pinehurst's Carolina Dining Room for $40 (inclusive of tax and service charge). Reservations can be made at (800) 487-4653.

Lovers of great jazz will not be disappointed by the 25th season, which opens Friday evening with the sultry Brazilian Voyage.

Led by international stars Harry Allen on tenor saxophone and Joe Locke on vibraphone, this group comes loaded with the lauded South American talents of Helio Alves on piano, Nilson Matta on bass, Duduka da Fonseca on drums and Maucha Adnet on vocals.

All celebrities in their own right, they come together to celebrate the sounds of the seductive samba and tantalizing tango. That passion is tempered only by the group's love of soft ballads highlighted by the slow and earthy voice of Adnet, whose decidedly Latin voice streams from a bygone era.

Duduka, Alves and Adnet have traveled and performed together on several occasions throughout the world, and will make listeners learn how to spell bossa nova all over again.

"Pianist Helio Alves has a light touch, dazzlingly fleet fingers and a knack for drawing listeners into a piece," wrote Rob Cline from All about Jazz.

The Tierney Sutton Band returns after their 2008 debut on the Cardinal stage for the Saturday night performance.

Sutton has gone from emerging talent to overnight star since her last performance at Pinehurst, along with her steady band of Christian Jacob on piano, Trey Henry and Kevin Axt on bass, and Ray Brinker on drums. Their latest album, "Desire," pays tribute to Cole Porter and desire in all its forms.

The result is music without modern pretension or hype, set in a spiritual calm that journeys through the best depths of the genre. The group has played together for 15 years and recorded seven CDs, and their cohesiveness and comfort with each other gives them freedom to explore the new and unknown.

The "Back by Popular Demand" theme pays tribute to 25 years of extraordinary jazz performances through the annual event. In spite of its small-town location, Heart 'n Soul of Jazz has continued to draw international and rising jazz talent for a quarter century -- from Marian McPartland, Shirley Horn and Ellis Marsalis to Karrin Allyson and Toots Thielemans. Named Jazz 'n January until the event was moved to Valentine's weekend in 2006, its passion and pizzazz have been inspired by the Schnell family of Pinehurst, who have served as its chairs since its inception.

"I have always been proud of the quality of the artists presented for this event," said Jan Schnell. "We spent many hours over the years procuring the best in music artistry and it became a joy for us when we could work together and watch its fruition. Twenty-five years later, here we are with a weekend that is now internationally known."

From its inception, Heart 'n Soul of Jazz has raised over $250,000 to support The Arts Council of Moore County and its mission to promote and develop the arts and art education throughout Moore County.

Heart 'n Soul of Jazz is made possible through the generous support of the corporate community, including sponsors Pinehurst Resort, American Airlines and Progress Energy, as well as reception sponsors BB&T, Wachovia and Lyne's Furniture Gallery.

With programs that expose art to thousands of children each year, it promotes local artists and art galleries and draws international musicians, artists and performers to its many countywide venues each year to both visitors and residents.

For more information, see mooreart.org.