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Spotlight will be on Bahrain’s soul singer and special needs advocate Christine Gordon tomorrow night as she takes people back in time with her musical medley from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
The mother-of-three who set up RIA Institute Bahrain – an inclusive education centre that caters to special needs students in Adliya – in 1999 with her husband Dr Emad El Attar, a chemist and fellow musician, has returned to the kingdom from the UK for a short stint…and is excited to perform at the British Club Bahrain.
“I’m really excited to be performing in a place with so many good memories,” said the RIA Institute director, whose son Othmann, 27, is autistic. She has been caring for special needs children of all ages for the past 25 years and said RIA was now more focused on programmes for young adults aged 18 and above.
“I will be performing in a place I call home and the British Club has been a pillar of support to my centre for so long. I feel so humbled that they were able to accommodate me at such short notice,” added Christine who has an MBE, which stands for ‘Member of the Order of the British Empire’.
“It’s also so good to be back in Bahrain. I have to pass by the British Club before I go to my house. It feels so good to be greeted by many familiar faces.”
Christine, who has Jamaican, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English roots, has been spending time in the UK with her youngest daughter Mary who has been coping with a lot of anxiety.
“I need to lend my energy to her well-being,” said the concerned mum who comes from a melodic background as her father Jay was a jazz musician and her mum Mary was musical.
Meanwhile, Christine said her eldest Gilan is very much like her dad, the scientist turned musician.
“I love the fact that she is living her best life with her hubby Jo in the UK,” she said. “I couldn’t be more proud. She really had it quite tough here but never complained.”
Christine will be returning to the UK on December 5 where she supports a charity in Richmond upon Thames called Crossroads. She said their philosophy and mission statement really resonated with her and that they are a small charity dedicated to supporting the vulnerable community.
She is also pursuing her love for music whenever she can as her voice and lyrics have been used in a modern-pop single collaboration called Fools Journey with a UK band called Vacuum Blu. She used to entertain music lovers all over Bahrain at different fundraisers, galas and dinners.
Meanwhile, her one-hour performance at the British Club in Manama will feature an array of music including rhythm and blues and some hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s, starting at 7.30pm.
