Events Guide

Al Riwaq Art Space is hosting an exhibition by Iraqi artist Ghassan Muhsin called ‘Abstract Expressionism’.

Ghassan uses gilded canvases and sensuous colour, marrying a range of styles and techniques into a reflection of his personal journey as an artist.

For more information, call 17717441 or email hadeel@alriwaqartspace.com

Euromoney Conferences, a leading organiser of conferences for cross-border investment and capital markets, will present a line-up of top financial experts at the fifth Euromoney GCC Financial Forum at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay in Manama.

More than 500 financial experts, economists, investors, bankers and policy-makers will attend the event and discuss the impact of sustained fall in oil prices on businesses in the region and beyond.

The Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain unveils its Belgian Week from today until Monday featuring specialities such as mussels, fries, steak tartar, selected beverages with more available from the a la carte menu.

For more information, call 17460017.

Prepare for a warm, Swiss gourmet feast at the Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain until March 4. Available in single and double pots, treat your taste buds to a variety of Swiss fondues for BD15++ per portion at Silk’s restaurant from 7pm onwards.

For details, contact 17460000.

The Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) will be held from tomorrow until Sunday at the Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Sanabis. See panel below for more details.

St Christopher’s School is hosting the annual Under-11s British Schools in the Middle East (BSME) Games until Sunday.

Ten teams are scheduled to arrive from schools across the Gulf to take part in a number of sports across the weekend. The activities will range from swimming, netball, athletics and football at the Saar campus and basketball at the Isa Town campus.

The ninth annual Marina Market event will take place at the Durrat Marina Yacht Club from 2pm-9pm. It is being held to celebrate Kuwait’s National Day and will feature food and beverages, fashion, home accessories, sport activities, boat rides, an outdoor movie show, children’s entertainment and more. Entrance is free and open to the public.

The Lost Paradise of Dilmun Waterpark is revving up for the return of the LPOD Car & Motorbike Show, which will take place from 9am-5pm.

The event gives guests the chance to get close to more than a hundred creative, classic and artistically-crafted and customised cars and bikes, as well as the opportunity to network with exhibitors exploring their passion and ideas.

A special competition will also be held where vehicles will be judged during the show under three different categories: four, six and eight cylinders and their respective sedan and sport divisions.

Aside from the car show, there will also be family activities including an outdoor bazaar, bouncy castles, face-painting, family picnic areas and food and refreshments served by LPOD’s selection of restaurants.

Entry costs BD1. For more information, car registration and bazaar table booking, call 36048641 or 36048648.

The Royal Golf Club’s family-friendly Friday Brunch at Prego runs from noon to 3pm and is designed for children costing BD6.500. Parents are welcome to order from the restaurant’s a la carte menu. Call 17751263 to book a table.

The Sheraton Bahrain Hotel hosts its celebrated Chocoholic Brunch featuring international delicacies with a special focus on chocolate creations.

It is served from 1pm-4pm and features live entertainment, with art competitions and video games for children.

Entry is BD22 net inclusive of soft drinks, BD28 net inclusive of unlimited selected beverages and BD10 net for children. Guests can book by calling 17533533 or visiting www.sheratonbahrain.com

The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa will host an evening with former football manager Harry Redknapp who will share stories about his colourful career.

Tickets are BD30 each, which includes entry, a gourmet dinner, a prize giveaway and a sports memorabilia auction.

For more information and tickets, visit www.ssmena.com or call 34552161. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) will host a mental health conference from 9am.

The event is entitled ‘No Health Without Mental Health’ and aims to increase awareness of various aspects of mental health and the means and resources to overcome them, to improve conceptions of mental illness and erase stigma associated with it and the overall promotion of mental health.

Dominic Peckham, pictured above, regarded as one of the UK’s finest young and dynamic orchestral and choral conductors, will be working with students, staff and parents of St Christopher’s School from today until March 2.

He is widely seen as a ‘leading light in music education’. His sessions for both adults and young people alike have been described as innovative, eye-opening and empowering; using the voice as a way to develop not only musical skills, but also teamwork, leadership and confidence through interactive, fun and insightful classes and workshops.

For more information, call 17605106.

A Bahrain resident, who has been crooning for more than 33 years, will be getting the show of a lifetime as a reward for entertaining music lovers on the island, writes Gopal Nambiar.

Jaykumar Varma, 54, will be joining hands with well-known pianist Stephen Devassy, and singers Gayathri Ashokan, Kiran Krishnan and Rajalakshmy Suresh tomorrow at the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) hall in Segaiya for the ‘Grand Piano’ at 8pm.

The show will be carried out in an unplugged fashion and many accomplished musicians like Jerson Antony, Francis Xavier, Lalichen Thomas and Sunil Kumar will be part of the event.

Varma came to the kingdom in November 1982 soon after completing his graduation and sang on stage for the first time a month later during a programme at the old BKS in Manama.

Subsequently, he has performed at more than 500 shows on the island with well-known singers, song-writers, musicians and music directors.

Varma said: “I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with most of south India’s great musicians such as G Venugopal, Madhu Balakrishnan, Minmini and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi. My greatest moment was sharing the stage with Dr K J Yesudas, one of India’s greatest singers (fondly called Gana Gandharvan – The Celestial Singer), and P Jayachandran, a well-known south Indian singer.

“Yesudas is my idol and, at most programmes, eight out of 10 songs that I sing will be of him.”

He comes from a family of singers with his uncle, the late L.P.R. Varma, the most acclaimed. He was a Carnatic musician, lyricist, music director, singer, screen writer and actor. He won the Indian national award for music direction in 1969. His mother was also an accomplished vocalist as were his siblings.

Varma, who has been working with Asia Jewellers for the past seven years, added: “I’m thankful to the Sama Orchestra, who launched me in Bahrain, and, thereafter, the Pallavi Orchestra who made my name in the kingdom.

“One of the highlights of my singing career in Bahrain was the launch of an album in 2008 featuring noted singers G Venugopal, Preetha Kannan and me. I had the good fortune of having noted Malayalam film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan do the honours.

“It is my privilege also to have the great pianist Stephen Devassy play for me, and for this I would like to thank the sponsors and the organisers for their kind gesture to mark my professional singing career in the kingdom, which is my second home.

“I would also like to thank my wife Mini and our son Arjun for always supporting my stage performances.

“Last but not the least, a big salute to my close friend Job Joseph, who has conducted several memorable shows in the kingdom and will be the co-coordinator of Grand Piano.”

During a press conference recently, Zayani Motors general manager Mohammed Zaki provided the Grand Piano show’s publicity material to BKS president Varghese Karakkal.

Entrance to tomorrow evening’s event is free.

St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manama, is the venue for a rather different musical experience tomorrow at 6pm when Group Therapy will play its first Cathedral Concert.

Group Therapy is a collection of musicians who have existed for three years and they play an eclectic mix of electric, acoustic, folk, light rock, blues and jazz, with music influenced by Cajun and Bluegrass.

They will cover songs from famous bands such as The Beatles, Eagles, Oasis, The Band and Blind Faith as well as artists including Eric Clapton and Neil Young.

Tickets are BD5 (accompanied children can enter for free) and are available from the St Christopher’s Cathedral Office by calling 17253866 or on the door on the night.

For more information, tickets or entry forms for any of the activities, visit the club in Manama or call 17253157.

The Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) will be held from tomorrow until Sunday at the Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Sanabis under the theme ‘Tree Care’.

BIGS will focus on agricultural skills for the proper care of trees including land preparation, irrigation, fertilisation, trimming, pruning and safe ways of transplanting palm pups.

More than 155 exhibitors will participate this year with their products, technologies and innovations on display. Exhibition Hall 1, ‘The Market Zone’, will be dedicated to the marketing of various agricultural products such as flowers, plants, agricultural tools, pots, garden furniture, machinery, lighting equipment, and many more agricultural products and services.

Exhibition Hall 2 is divided into two sections: the ‘Awareness Zone’ will focus on raising awareness and educating visitors about agriculture. Exhibitors include public and educational institutions and civil society organisations who will display their services, projects, and latest agricultural innovations; and the ‘Design Zone’ will showcase innovations in the field of gardening, landscaping, and garden design and will include participants from the public and private sectors.

The Crowne Plaza Bahrain Bfit Health Club is staging a Biggest Loser Challenge until May 10. The person who loses the most weight at the end of the four months will win three months free health club membership, a T-shirt and a one night stay-for-two at the hotel, inclusive of breakfast.

For details, contact 17531122.

The Crowne Wedding Show 2016 will take place at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain hotel in Manama on March 10 (10am-9pm) and 11 (3pm-9pm).

The event is an exclusive two-day boutique event for brides and grooms to-be, and aims to save prospective couples months of planning and stress and to provide ideas and inspiration.

In attendance will be a unique selection of wedding specialists and suppliers under one roof, in addition to established local wedding designers, cake ordering, photographer booking and more.

There will also be fashion shows from designer Malikan showcasing her new collections, a hair and make-up show by La Belle Femme Salon, a special performance by pianist Salah Isa and an Arabic coffee service from Friends Women.

Any couples who book their wedding before March 31 get entered into a special draw for a chance to win several prizes such as a wedding dress, bouquets and a stretch limo for the bride.