It all starts with
a picnic blanket.

Suitable for all ages, Beth Portman's self-contained portable shows transform any spot into a music picnic any time of year. With her gingham picnic blanket as her stage, Beth builds her show from the ground up depending on your event’s needs, location and audience. With her uplifting retro roots music of originals and covers as well as, her colourful visual style, she’s appeared at festivals, city and community events, schools, private celebrations, libraries, and music clubs. In addition to her all ages show, Beth has special presentations for families(Beth's Picnic Show), schools(Treats & Beats), seniors and the festival season. In 2022 her Great Great Day album was featured in Ukulele Magazine USA and called “A sweet treat.” Beth Portman’s Picnic Shows are a basket full of music possibilities to bring a smile.

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“Beth was a pleasure to work with. Not only are the original and cover songs she sang creative and fun, but she brings an attention to detail that I have not seen from other musical performers. She carefully curates a performance that fits the event from choosing applicable music or changing the lyrics of her songs to costuming both herself and the stage. She is a talented and passionate person who has matched her craft to her personality.”

— Diana Inscho, 'Wop' May Day Event, Town of Edson

All Ages

Beth Portman

LENGTH: 60 to 90 minutes

A self-contained portable outdoor and indoor show suitable for a wide variety of spaces, performance occasions and audiences. Created during the pandemic for front lawns, this show with its upbeat retro roots music, harkens back to simpler times, capturing the carefree joy of summer. In addition to her voice and ukulele, Beth uses her looper station (neatly stored in a picnic basket) to create and record beats using items from her picnic basket. For smaller budgets Beth can perform a mini-picnic version of her show with voice and ukulele only and a simpler sound system set up. These one-hour solo presentations can be expanded to two 45-minute sets with the 2nd set touching on the history of trains, planes and travel on the prairies. For larger budgets and events, additional musicians can be added.Music picnic spots: Edson’s ‘Wop’ May Day, New Moon Folk Club, La Cité Francophone Patio Series, Central Lions Seniors Association Mother’s Day Tea, Glenora’s ‘Picnic in the Park’ community event, Riverhawk’s Retro Father’s Day.Inquire for booking

Families

Beth's Picnic Show

LENGTH: 45 minutes

Similar to the Beth Portman (all ages) presentation, but specific for families, focuses on songs that celebrate food, nature and creativity. Using the analogy of a layered cake, Beth shares what ingredients go into making music. This is demonstrated on her looper with audience participation. The recorded layers add harmony and rhythm to her live performance of originals and cover songs. At the St. Albert Children’s Festival, Beth appeared on the outdoor stage and was a roving performer cycling around the grounds on her pedal trike doing mini-concerts. This show can be presented indoors and outdoors.Beth's BIG Picnic Show: For theatres with multimedia projection, a series of colourful backgrounds can be used to transport the audience to Beth's favourite picnic spot.Music picnic spots: St. Albert Children’s Festival, Edmonton Public Library, Edmonton Arts Council’s Green Shacks Program, Art Gallery of Alberta 100th Anniversary Celebration, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour School, Alberta Railway Museum.Inquire for booking

Schools

Beth's Treats & Beats

LENGTH: 45 minutes

Designed for elementary schools and other learning-focused organizations. This show introduces children to what ingredients go into music (melody, harmony, rhythm, instruments) and how you can layer them by using a digital recording device called a looper. Beth encourages children to discover their own creative voice through observation and play through music, art and nature. Using items from her picnic basket, she records playful beats to accompany her singing and ukulele strumming. Songs about food, friendship and our woodland habitat, add to our picnic celebration and fit into school curriculum of art, music and science.Beth's YouTube channel, Beth’s Picnic for Kids is a great way to introduce students to Beth through her song videos and picnic nature walks.Inquire for booking

About Beth

Beth Portman has over 35 years of experience as a music entertainer, songwriter, and visual artist. An award-winning animator, she created two animated short films with the National Film Board of Canada and produced over 85 song videos for her YouTube Channel, BethPortmanSings. As a solo artist and with her band, The Good Find, Portman has performed in music clubs, festivals, soft-seat theatres and the occasional train. Since 2020 her portable picnic show has appeared in a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces. Portman has released three solo albums.

“Beth and her music was a fabulous addition to our Glenora Community Picnic in the Park. She created the perfect atmosphere that reached from our youngest to our eldest community members. She is truly delightful! ”

— Glenora Community League

“Beth Portman's visit to our elementary school was an absolute delight! With her infectious energy and vibrant personality, she captivated the hearts of every child in the room. Armed with her ukulele and a plethora of musical talents, she transformed our ordinary day into a memorable musical adventure.”

— Tenielle Bennet, Teacher, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour School

“Her creativity is remarkable and her dedication to her craft is inspiring. She is unique and connects with audiences through her beautiful voice, authentic spirit and her wonderful sense of playfulness.”

— Allen Jacobson, Cultural Manager, Summer Patio Series, La Cité Francophone