Violinist and Grammy Award-winning artist Miri Ben-Ari returns to Washington this week to perform on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. One of her most recent gigs here was playing the White House at the request of Michelle Obama where, as part of the annual celebration of Women’s History Month, she was deemed a “remarkable” woman mentor. Philanthropy and performance are of equal value in the life of this Israeli-born artist who blends a unique style of musicianship while supporting programs for over 40 charitable institutions worldwide. Both have yielded pay-offs beyond her wildest dreams.
As a classically trained violinist who studied under the late Isaac Stern, Ben-Ari has found an innovative way to fuse her classical style with jazz, R&B and hip hop. She agrees with those who refer to her sound as “New Music.”
| Onstage |
| Miri Ben-Ari |
| Where: Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street, NW |
| When: 6 p.m. Wednesday |
| Info: Free, 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org |
“People like to relate to things they know,” she explained, emphatically. “Do I have jazz elements in my music? Of course! I have three albums of jazz and Wynton Marsalis is on my very last album. Do I use hip hop elements in my music? Of course! I’ve worked with everyone you can imagine when it comes to hip hop and R&B.”
Indeed, Miri Ben-Ari has sold millions of records by collaborating with such musical luminaries as Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Britney Spears, to name a few.
“I write and produce my own music and my music is real,” she said in her unvarnished, tell-it-like-it-is manner. “At the same time, it is commercial in the sense of production.”
While Kennedy Center audiences will hear music from Miri Ben-Ari’s highly successful releases, such as “Hip Hop Violinist,” she will also perform from her new, soon to be released, album and also, her celebrated “Symphony of Brotherhood” featuring the Dream Speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On the flip side of that valuable coin, Miri Ben-Ari converses as readily and enthusiastically about causes she believes in as she does about her music. Her favorite, “Gedenk” (“Remember,”) is a non-profit organization she co-founded and is dedicated to promoting awareness among young people of the Jewish Holocaust.
“I think that it’s my responsibility as an artist to utilize my talent to do things that are greater than me,” she noted. “Supporting great causes and spreading important messages are crucial when it comes to looking at the world as a global community. I would like to consider myself as someone that contributes to a movement to make the world a better place.”
