Miri Ben-Ari

Miri Ben-Ari (; born ) is an Israeli–American violinist, record producer, and humanitarian. As of 2025, she is the first and only violinist to win a Grammy in the Hip Hop category, known as "the hip-hop violinist".

Life and career

Ben-Ari was born and raised in Tel Aviv District, Israel. She grew up playing classical music; she started training at age 5 and at age 12, she was presented with a violin by Isaac Stern. During her mandatory military service, she served playing for the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra (IDF's Orchestra). During her stint in the Israeli military, she heard an album by Charlie Parker and immediately fell in love with jazz; she later said "My soul was sold." Following her service, she moved from Israel to New York in hopes of using her classical training on stage and attended the Jazz department at The New School, but was expelled after two semesters due to poor attendance caused by Ben-Ari playing gigs to pay the rent.

She released her first solo CD, ''Sahara,'' in 1999.

Her persistence earned her an appearance on BET's ''106 & Park''; the viewer response netted her a return visit a few weeks later. Her performances caught the eye of Jay-Z, who invited her to play as one of the headliners of New York radio station Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert in 2001, where she netted a standing ovation. Around the same time, a mutual friend introduced Ben-Ari to Wyclef Jean, who invited her to perform with him at his Carnegie Hall show, the first by a hip-hop artist at the venue.

In 2003, she released her second CD ''Temple of Beautiful'', and followed that up with a live CD the following year entitled ''Live at the Blue Note''.

She won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2005 as one of the co-writers of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks". In 2005, Universal Music Group released her fourth CD and first to focus on hip-hop style, entitled '' The Hip-Hop Violinist''. As part of the promotion for it, she was part of Reebok's "I Am What I Am" global advertising campaign; Reebok was also part of the video for the first single from the CD, "We Gonna Win".

In 2006, she co-founded Gedenk (Yiddish for "remember"), an organization dedicated to promoting education about the Holocaust in the United States. That year she collaborated with the Bachata band Aventura (band) on the song José, released on Kings of Bachata: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden

In 2007, she received the International Jewish Woman To Watch of 2007 Award and in 2008 she received the "2008 Israel Film Festival Visionary Award," "The Jewish Federation" award and "the American Society for Yad Vashem" Award.

In 2009, she released ''Symphony of Brotherhood'', an instrumental track featuring Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In part due to the song, she received the first Martin Luther King Jr. Israeli Award in January 2008 at a ceremony hosted by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres.

In March 2011, Ben-Ari was invited to the White House by Michelle Obama as part of a Women's History Month celebration, to perform and to be honored as a "remarkable Woman". In July 2011 she performed at the 2011 Miss Universe China pageant. and in October 2011 she performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Presidential memorial dedication in Washington, DC.

In 2011, she was named by Ynet as one of the 10 most influential Israelis in America.

In 2012, Ben-Ari was invited to perform for U.S. President Barack Obama.

In 2013, she was appointed as "Goodwill Ambassador of Music" at the United Nations Association-Brazil.

In 2013, she was featured in the trance song ''Intense'' by DJ and producer Armin Van Buuren. The track was the title track of Van Buuren's album Intense and was chosen as the "Tune of the Year" of 2013 by A State Of Trance

Miri Ben-Ari is signed with the Harman Kardon brand as a Beautiful Sound artist to be featured globally in advertisements and in special appearances as an ambassador for the Harman Kardon "Beautiful Sound" brand campaign.

In 2014, she was honored with the "Aviv Award" by The America-Israel Cultural Foundation 75th Anniversary Gala at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, hosted by Itzhak Perlman and introduced by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and CEO of Harman International Dinesh Paliwal.
Ben-Ari was a special guest feature with Arianna Huffingtons THIRD METRIC LIVE and Armin Van Buuren ARMIN ONLY-INTENSE world tour. She became a featured blogger for the Huffington and was chosen by top Israeli news media Mako and Ynet as one of the top ten most influential Israelis now living in the United States.

Following the great success of its first year, Ben-Ari continues to promote "The Gedenk Award For Tolerance" campaign in 2015, now in its second year partnership with Alliance for Young Artists & Writers sponsored by Ben-Ari's non-profit organizatio
GEDENK
Ben-Ari received the first-ever "Girl Up Advocate Award" to celebrate international Women's Day from the United Nations Foundation and is the recipient of the 2015 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

A longtime resident of Bergen County, New Jersey

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