Young music sensation Serena Khan has struck a high note for Bahrain, recently winning the prestigious Mayor’s Award at the Baltic Voice International Music Competition in Lithuania.
The 13-year-old grade nine student at St Christopher’s School, Al Raffa, was recognised for her ‘extraordinary talent and exceptional artistic presence’, earning the event’s highest honour. 
She also secured third place for her rendition of The Climb by Miley Cyrus, competing against more than 150 participants from 20 countries across Europe, Asia and North America.
Adding to the significance of the achievement was the trophy itself, a traditional Curonian weather vane, a symbol deeply rooted in Baltic cultural heritage.
The 14th edition of the popular children’s and youth vocal music competition was held in July and featured around 300 performances.
“I feel extremely grateful for the recognition as I had been preparing for months,” Serena told the GulfWeekly. 
“I had been training for 14 hours a week since January,” she added, noting that balancing classwork, music practice and family time became particularly challenging in the months leading up to the competition.
The talented vocalist has lived in Bahrain since the age of one with her father Ali Khan, a private equity professional, and her mother Shazray Khan, who owns a popular preschool. The Pakistani-American family resides in Saar. 
“Bahrain is a big part of my life, so being able to represent it internationally feels really special,” said the young singer, who has been receiving formal vocal training since the age of three. Over the years, she has taken part in numerous singing competitions and performances across Bahrain, experiences that helped lay the foundation for her international journey. That journey began with her first overseas competition appearance in Malta in 2024 and has now led to her latest success on the European stage.
More recently, Serena added to her growing list of achievements by winning the Music Production Award at the Performist International Music Festival in Turkey, which attracted more than 100 participants.
Her father, Ali, said the family was immensely proud of her accomplishments and expressed gratitude to her teachers for their unwavering support.
“From a young age Serena has always shown a lot of confidence on stage, whether it is singing, acting, or participating in debates and public speaking,” Ali said. 
“We have always encouraged her to follow her passion. 
“We are very thankful to Ms Natalia of Bel Canto Music and Mr Haggerty and Mr Duff at St Christopher’s School for recognising her talent and helping her develop the skills and confidence needed to compete successfully at the international level.” 
Her mother, Shazray, said the family had always encouraged Serena to explore different interests while ensuring she never felt undue pressure, believing that a supportive environment was key to her growth.
“We encourage Serena to take on challenges and accept accomplishments and defeat with humility and confidence,” she said. 
“Even before we left for Malta, we emphasised to Serena that the trip was an opportunity to experience a large and highly competitive event, and we had no issues if she did not perform well. But when they announced her as the second place winner, we were elated and humbled,” she recounted. 
The former fashion designer commended Bahrain as a wonderful and safe place to live and pursue ones dreams.  
“Bahrain has provided a wonderful and safe environment for raising Serena, with opportunities that are hard to find in many international cities.  With the added resources of the music department at St Christopher’s new senior school campus (in Al Raffa), we hope Serena will continue to gain recognition, further develop her talent and build an even stronger foundation for the future,” she added.