to Miri Ben-Ari's Promoter: What have Breasts Got To Do With It???

By -

Grammy Award-Winning artist, Miri Ben-Ari, also known as the hip-hop violinist, has been invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to perform at the annual celebration of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 30th 2011.

Ok, perhaps the title is a bit mis-leading based on the tag line. But I get lots of requests to publicize arts of all types. Without casting any aspersions on the award winning artist or her talents, I find it odd that the picture I received as part of the request for publicity has Ms Ben-Ari in a rather seductive post with her Breast displayed prominently.

I'm as much man as the next and I do happen to like breasts, but I am not sure their relevance to the news at hand. Does Michelle Obama prefer women to display their breasts? I suppose hip hop artists need to display a certain amount of sex appeal to attract an audience. But Miri Ben-Ari is an accomplished violinist. She played with the Israeli String Quartet and won numerous awards. Maybe some of the music she plays isn't technically all that difficult; it's hip hop which likes simple repetitive melodies. Not everything she does is so "simple" using double stops and rapid passages that scream virtuosity.

Miri Ben-Ari is a joy to watch, and not because she's got a great figure or round, full breasts. She is one of the top female artists of our day. Her invitation to the White House confirms this role. Miri is not only an accomplished musician, but dedicated to numerous other causes - so she's a great person. If you want to hear more about Miri, check her website or her catch her music on YouTube, MTV or VH1. She is so much more than her mammary glands.

Only 25 of America’s most distinguished women have been selected to join Mrs. Obama including Miri Ben-Ari, in her day long tour to a Washington, D.C. area high school to talk, share, inspire and encourage young women to go after their dreams. Participants include Hillary Swank, Anna Deveare Smith, Miri Ben-Ari, Lisa Leslie, Rashida Jones, Geena Davis and more! Several of the guest mentors are associated with the Lifetime Network, an organization that has been a leader in celebrating women and in fostering mentorship in young girls. In support of the First Lady’s work on mentoring, Lifetime will launch a public outreach program which will include leading subsequent mentoring events across the country and producing a public service announcement campaign on the subject.

Note: Yes, I realize sex sells. There are numerous topics on this blog alone that discuss this very topic. Still, I'm not sold on it (or by it). I didn't print this article because I thought Miri's sex-appeal was important --quite the opposite. She could have made it without the sex-appeal - but if talking about her breasts gets her a bit more notice... well, she's a great artist, so whatever works to get the word out.

Comments

Jess Albertine said…
I have a different opinion. I think it's great that she used a photo like this. Classical music has such a conservative, old-fashioned image that it's great to see someone modernize it, freshen it up. I know she wouldn't have used this photo if she were still just a 'classical' musician, but still. I like that a violin, rather than a guitar or microphone, can be associated with a young, sexy image. Let's make things more interesting for the younger generations who wouldn't otherwise glance at a violinist's promo photo.
March 29, 2011 at 6:10 PM
Chip Michael said…
Jess -

I agree with the idea of updating Classical Music's image... that's what my last sentence is all about.

*grin*

Glad we agree....

Miri's photo is hardly the most provocative I've ever seen (or posted).
March 30, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

The Art of String Quartets by Brian Ferneyhough

By -
Image
When an artist sets paint to canvas, there are brush strokes used for different effects. Sometimes those strokes are subtle, imperceptible; they produce works of art like the Mona Lisa . Other times the very obvious nature of the stroke is the art, as in works by Van Gogh. With some composers of music, the notes on the page are their craft. How those notes translate into an aural experience is what defines some composers as great artists. Brian Ferneyhough has a masterful command of the techniques of putting notes on the page. These techniques are sometimes so subtle, even though written in black and white, they escape detection. Some of what he attempts with his music is just that, to escape detection, to bury the framework, diverting the ear away from the structure, so only the music is heard . The subtlety is so fine it is almost imperceptible. Even though he studied at several institutions, he is considered self-taught, studying scores from Boule
Read more