Miri Ben-Ari

Miri Ben-Ari (מירי בן-ארי; born December 4, 1978) is an American-Israeli musician, producer, and humanitarian known as 'the hip-hop violinist'. Born in Tel Aviv District, Israel, she began playing classical music at a young age and received a violin from Isaac Stern at age 12. During her military service, she played for the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra and discovered a love for jazz. Ben-Ari moved to New York to pursue her classical training on stage but was expelled from The New School's Jazz department. She released her first solo CD Sahara in 1999. Her talent led to appearances on BET's 106 & Park, and she has collaborated with numerous renowned artists in the music industry.