Article Contributed by Doug Deutsch
Published on 2026-08-04
Five-time Blues Music Award winner Vanessa Collier will bring her year-long “Keep It Saxy” Tour to the Valhalla Boathouse Theatre in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, August 19.
The soulful blues saxophonist and vocalist will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35.
“My favorite musician, performer, and human being … Vanessa Collier is the hardest-working woman in show business,” wrote Elmore Magazine. “Her tenor sax solos bring an overture of sonic bliss.”
Buddy Guy has also praised Collier’s musicianship.
“There’s a young lady [Vanessa Collier] came onstage with me, I forget where I was, but she’s playing an alto saxophone, and man, she was amazing,” Guy said.
Collier, who appears on the cover of the 2026 Blues Festival Guide, has quickly earned recognition as a rising force on the international music scene. She received three 2026 Blues Music Award nominations: B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Female Artist.
Her sixth and most recent album, Do It My Own Way, was released in September 2024 through her own Phenix Fire Records.
Recorded on analog gear with the musicians largely playing together in one room, the album draws inspiration from the classic Memphis soul sound of Stax and Hi Records, particularly the Staples Singers.
Do It My Own Way features Memphis soul-influenced horn arrangements, layered vocals, and powerful saxophone solos that create a steady emotional undercurrent throughout the record.
The minor-key Americana noir song “Take Me Back” served as the album’s first single. The record opens with the funk workout “Elbow Grease,” while “Shoulda Known Better” stands out among its groove-heavy tracks. “Just One More” moves with a rhumba rhythm.
Collier is a multi-award-winning songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist known for blending funk, soul, rock, and blues through soulful vocals, fiery saxophone playing, and sharp songwriting.
She began playing saxophone in the fourth grade and participated in school, all-county, and all-state bands while also competing in AAU basketball. She lettered all four years on her varsity basketball team and graduated from high school with honors.
Collier later earned a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where she graduated with dual degrees in performance and music production and engineering. Since graduating, she has toured extensively throughout the United States and internationally.
“I am driven to do this because I find it a total form of expression and connection,” Collier says. “I love connecting with an audience and feeling their energy, and I hope to inspire people to follow their dreams and passions, to find what brings them joy, and then to pursue it doggedly.”
Vanessa Collier at Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
7 p.m.
Valhalla Boathouse Theatre
1 Valhalla Road
South Lake Tahoe, NV
Tickets: $35
For additional information, call (530) 541-4975 or visit valhallatahoe.com/events.
