THE VELVET CHAIR EXPERIENCE
is a fusion of Jazz and Uptown Soul featuring the smooth and sultry vocals of Karen Collins serenading guests over great food and libations in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere! The event will also feature Dexter Bell and Friends and other surprise musical guests and entertainers!
Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite and in person at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center!!! Seating is limited!!! Shows sell out fast so get your tickets now!
A Jazz cover of Jesus Children.....
Just a girl and her mic!
The Velvet Chair is more than just a show, it's an experience. The musicianship of Dexter Bell and friends combined with the powerhouse vocals of Karen Collins is sure to bring you a night you will never forget! The Velvet Chair Experience is a unique fusion of jazz and soul where guests are invited to sit and be serenaded with the songs that are the soundtracks of their lives from Bessie Smith to Billie Holiday, Etta James to Sade, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway and much, much more...
THE VISION
The Vision for the Velvet Chair Experience came out of a desire to create an intimate yet shared space where music lovers can have a personalized musical experience being serenaded in the iconic Velvet Chairs ,while socializing over great food and great music in an elegant atmosphere.
Come join us to celebrate your birthdays, engagements and anniversaries while we sing the sound track of your lives!
The show is for one night but the experience lasts a lifetime!
OUR STORY.
Karen’s musical roots run deep, all the way back to her great-grandmother, Hattie Bell, who was a shape note singer who lived in Rome, Georgia. This all but lost, musical style was considered to be the defining style that influenced African American spirituals.
Karen’s God given gift of song encompasses a melodic musical legacy that she discovered very early on as she performed the Battle Hymn of the Republic for her kindergarten graduation, which was a very mature song for someone at such a tender age.
The Velvet Chair Experience
at
The Bessie Smith Cultural Center
200 E. MLK Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37403
2026 Season Show Dates
April 26th 6pm-9:30pm
May 31st 6pm-9:30pm
All White Summer Concerts
June 28th 6pm-9:30pm
July 26th 6pm-9:30pm
August 23rd 6pm-9:30 pm
Our last shows of the 2026 season will be......
September 27th,6pm-9:30pm
&
Black Velvet Christmas Gala December 13th, 2026 6pm-9:30pm
Special Announcement!!!
Tickets are on sale now!!!
Join us for The Velvet Chair Experience @ The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera
March 28th, 2026 @7:30pm at The Walker Theatre
Click Here For Tickets: https://share.google/A4rqc8vF8NOkC13JG
Regular season online tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite and in person at The Bessie Smith Cultural Center for our season shows.
For table or multiple ticket inquiry call 423-486-5849 or email us at thevelvetchairexperience@gmail.com
