Dates for the diary

Distinguished Romanian violinist Lavinia Belasu will be performing at St Christopher’s Cathedral as part of the series of Cathedral Concerts on Thursday, April 28, at 6pm.

She will be accompanied on the piano by teacher Nadia Lpchynska, pictured right, from Ukraine, who recently accompanied Bahraini flautist, Ahmed Al Ghanem, in a world premiere piece at the cathedral.

Lavinia is an experienced performer and has played as first violinist with the National Opera House Orchestra, the Quotlibet Musicum Chamber Orchestra and the National Radio Symphonic Orchestra in Bucharest. She has travelled extensively on concert tours in both Europe and Asia and, in Bahrain, she has played at La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Art.

For several years she has taught and given master classes in the Middle East and elsewhere and is a UNESCO consultant in her fields of excellence.

Their programme will include pieces by JS Bach, GF Handel, Edward Elgar, J Pachelbel and will also include several excepts of the lovely music from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet. It will also feature music composed by Lavinia’s son Victor Nicoara, himself a concert pianist.

Adult tickets priced BD5 are available on the door or in advance through the cathedral office (17253866) and accompanied children are welcome to attend for free.

The Indian Club is hosting a five-a-side football tournament for Indian expatriates only on April 28. The Indian Club Indian Expats Football Cup 2016 will be held at the club’s Gudaibiya premises and there will be three age categories: Under 15s U19s and Open.

Around 50 teams are expected, and entry is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Entry fees will be BD30 per team in all categories.

Entry forms and further information on the tournament can be obtained by contacting the club on 17253157.

Rocky’s Café in Juffair is hosting a Rihanna and Shakira tribute act on April 28 from 10pm. Entry is BD5, or you can purchase an unlimited selective beverage ticket for BD20.

For more information, call 36289386 or 36289349.

The annual celebration of Dutch culture, Oranjefeest, will be celebrated on April 29 with a party at Café Amsterdam, Adliya. Entry is for adults only, and will include Dutch food, beverages and music from both a live band and DJ Derek. Tickets cost BD32.500 and are available by calling 39691322 or 32293787.

Ballare School of Performing Arts is hosting its annual dance show production, titled ‘Miraculous - A Book of Tales’ at The Cultural Hall on April 29 and 30.

For inquiries, call 17300021 or 39251281. Tickets are available from the Ballare centre in Saar, and there are options of BD15, BD10 and BD5.

Get yourself beach ready for the summer by taking part in the Royal Country Club’s Biggest Loser Challenge. Weigh in with one of the club’s three fitness experts any time on April 30 or May 1 and weigh out again any time on May 31. The cost for participating is BD5 for members and BD10 for non-members and includes weigh in/out, a weekly food plan, a 30- minute group fitness training session and a weekly follow-up meeting if required.

Participants can also take advantage of a 10 per cent discount off all personal training packages if purchased in the month of May.

For further information, call 17750777.

Diggers, located at the Delmon Hotel in Manama, is hosting its second Rock Fest on April 30. Entry is free and four local bands will be playing.

The Indian Club is hosting a Labour Day Celebration in association with the Tamil community from 10am on May 1. The programme will include a wide range of sports, activities and hospitality during the day, with singers and dancers providing the entertainment in the evening with a number of exciting multicultural performances.

For more information, call the club on 17253157.

The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa will host an evening with former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England star Ian Wright on May 13, where he will share stories from his colourful football 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 Gulf Hotel Bahrain is running numerous promotions throughout this month. Sato’s Japanese Restaurant is offering an authentic Japanese Teppanyaki business lunch starting from BD12++ and it will feature live Japanese cooking shows. This runs from noon-3pm every Sunday to Thursday.

Finally, the China Garden will host a Dim Sum Festival throughout the month.

An event celebrating ‘unity in diversity’ called Bahrain For All, All For Bahrain will be held on April 29 from 4pm at the Prince Khalifa bin Salman Park in Hidd.

More than 20 communities will be represented through 16 cultural performances and 200 market stalls, with an expected crowd of approximately 50,000 visitors strengthening solidarity among the kingdom’s residents, expatriates and locals alike.

The event’s headliners are Bahraini rap and hip hop artist The Mystro (Hamad Fardan), and the critically-acclaimed DJ Outlaw, along with Flipperachi and Kuwaiti star Daffy. The show will be MC’d by comedian Waddah Swar.

Also on the programme are cultural performances by the Nepalese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Egyptian, Jordanian, Filipino, Pakistani, Sudanese and Palestinian communities. In addition to market stalls, which will sell a range of products such as food, clothes, jewellery and handmade goods, 10 embassies will be present to showcase each country’s culture and heritage.

Discover Islam and Alliance Francaise will also offer information about their services, while an artists’ corner will feature locally-produced art for sale. Specially allocated kids’ areas will offer face-painting, henna, balloon twisters, and colouring stations. Shuttle services will be provided from participating clubs’ premises to the venue and back.

For more information, call 33822891 or visit www.bahrain4all.com

The French School of Bahrain is presenting a Musical 2016 Show on May 19 at the Cultural Hall from 6.30pm. Directed by Sadaf Karim, it tells the story of a group of school children auditioning for a part in a new school musical and competing against each other at all costs. It will feature a range of popular songs from artists such as Bruno Mars, Eurhythmics and One Direction.

Tickets cost BD5 and are available at the door.

For further details, contact 33059040 or email skminneapolis@gmail.com

A women-only expo, titled ‘Moda Expo’, will be held during the Holy Month of Ramadan at the Gulf International Conventions Centre of the Gulf Hotel Bahrain on June 11-12 from 7pm-1am.

On display will be the latest lines of abayas, fashions, accessories, make-up, footwear, bags and many other local products.

Entry is free and strictly for ladies only.

For more information, call 33207742 or check out Moda.expo_bh on Instagram.

Adnan Sport Events Management is organising a ‘Run & Walk 4 Cancer’ event on June 3 from 8.30am. It will feature a 5.3km route on main roads along the Muharraq Corniche between the two bridges.

The event aims to raise funds for the Bahrain Cancer Society to enhance medical services and care for the cancer patients in the kingdom.

For more information, contact adnan@adnanevents.com or call 39132102.

The Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay’s re/Asian Cuisine restaurant has launched its new Dim Sum Saturday Brunch, featuring fresh dim sums, dumplings and wontons.

The menu features more than 20 items from a curated menu such as wonton soup with fresh prawn dumplings, wok fried shrimp dumplings, Peking duck rolls, wild mushroom-filled vegetable dumplings, Korean fried bao buns and short rib and brisket wontons.

Beside a vast selection of fried rice and hand-made noodles, the brunch menu offers lavish desserts too, prepared by Executive Pastry Chef Pierre Chambon. The coconut cream, the caramel-instilled chocolate fondant, or the Chinese donuts with mandarin jam are just a few of the many examples created to appeal to sweet-toothed brunchers.

The Dim Sum Brunch is priced at BD19 and is available every Saturday afternoon from 12.30pm-3.30pm.

For table reservations, call 17115046.

The Indian School Bahrain Mega Fair 2016 will be held on April 29 and 30 at the school campus in Isa Town.

The event will be a celebration of the Indian ethos, its culture, dress styles and rich traditions. The fair’s theme song Once again ISB was presented by Indian film actress and playback singer Mamata Mohandas and music director Gopi Sundar.

The carnival will also feature music, dance performances, a food festival, games stalls and a special exhibition of electronic and IT products and services.

The star attractions will be Indian playback singers Shilpa Rao, Vipin Aneja, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Akhila Anand and Arun Raj who will perform live.

There is a raffle-cum-entry ticket with the top prize a Mitsubishi Outlander sponsored by Zayani Motors.