Miri Ben-Ari

Miri Ben-Ari at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards (Yahoo Images)

My hero is Miri Ben-Ari for the following reasons: she's humble, she has traveled the path of a common individual. She is very talented and has the ability to play what she wants, the violin.

Miri grew up in Israel playing classical music and studying under great violinists such as Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern. At the age of 14 she was recommended by Isaac Stern for a scholarship to the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. She was accepted to play in the prestigious Israeli Army String Quartet while participating in her mandatory military service in Israel.

Miri Ben-Ari's C.D. (Yahoo Images)

While she was still in service, she found herself becoming more interested in jazz. She moved to New York in the hope of pursuing her wish of studying jazz. When she got there she joined "The New School" college studying jazz as a major, but since she was homeless and was struggling to provide for herself, she was failed and had to drop out for lack of attendance.

Her career exploded when her three albums came out when she was signed by Half Note Records. She later was introduced on the show, "Show Time at The Apollo," where she was recognized as an Apollo Legend! Some of her featuring artist were Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child, Wyclef, Anthony Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Janet Jackson, Brandy, Britney Spears, Lil' Mo, John Legend, Maroon 5 and many, many more! I consider Miri Ben-Ari to be a world-wide hero because she not only introduced the violin to jazz and hip-hop but now, there are entire orchestras and symphonies that are strictly R&B! She has changed the way everyone looks at the violin so that now it is more diverse!

“The World’s Greatest Violinist!” -Wyclef Jean

Miri Ben-Ari is to hip-hop now what Miles Davis was to Jazz back in the day! Shes re-inventing a whole new Hip-Hop sound! - Kanye West

“[Miri] takes hip hop to the next-next-next-next millennium... A Hip Hop Violinist! I want you all to check this out!” -Jay-Z

“A "bad" lil’ girl! Her violin sounds like a human voice!” -Patty LaBelle

“Miri’s playing is wonderful, beautiful, exquisite, unpredictable, original and spontaneous. Her creative energy can set a band on fire and it does!” -Wynton Marsalis

.....All of the following are quotes that people have said about this star! Nothing bad has ever and never will be said about her. She is just a wonderful player and doesn't let anyone tell her who to be or what to play on the violin....that is why she is My Hero!