ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINATIONS

INCLUDING

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IF YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED 'THE PIANIST' YET,
YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THE YEAR'S MOST

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Joe Sie e GOOD MORNING AMERICA

Lisa Schwarz aum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"I love appearing before
Jewish groups because
they make me feel like
I'm at home,"

— Miri Ben Ari.

recommended her for a scholarship
from the America-Israel Cultural
Foundation and provided a violin.
During military service in Israel, she
performed with the Army String
Quartet and discovered American jazz.
After the military, she studied at the
Mannes School of Music in New York
and began appearing in jazz clubs.
A big boost to her career came from
the late Betty Carter, a legendary jazz
vocalist who invited the young artist
into "Jazz Ahead," a program for
young musicians.
Her live performances around New
York led her to record two albums,
Sahara and Song of the Promised Land,
the second featuring jazz trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis.
"I was good at classical," says the
instrumentalist, "but it wasn't my voice."

A Way To Communicate

Ben-Ari's changing instrumental voice
has brought many invitations for work
with different artists, and she has had
diverse experiences — touring with R&B
star Luther Vandross, working with jazz
guitarist Les Paul, collaborating with the
singing group Manhattan Transfer and
playing in the Broadway string sections

for Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.
She's proud that another Israeli,
Yaron Gershovskey, musical director
for the group Manhattan Transfer,
appears with her band and will be on
keyboards in Michigan.
She's also excited about working on
her debut hip-hop CD with Wyclef
Jean and his Refugee Camp.
While Live at the Blue Note, her next
CD to be released, is planned to trans-
port listeners to the heart of New York
music, she also uses her talents to inter-
est listeners in commercial projects..
She endorses and performs on behalf of
Coca-Cola and the Ecko clothing line.
"Because music is all about love and
communication, I wish for my home-
land, [Israel], and our neighbors to
find a better way to communicate
with each other, like we do in music,
so together, we can bring peace to the
Middle East," she says. ❑

SCREENPLAY
RONALD HARWOOD

DIRECTOR
ROMAN POLANSKI

ACTOR

ADRIEN BRODY

Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

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—Roger Ebert, 2002

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Friday, February 28 at 7 & 9:45
Saturday, March 1 at 7 & 9:45
Sunday, March 2 at 4 & 7

DETROIT FILM THEATRE

the DETROIT INSTITUTE of ARTS

Miri Ben-Ari and her band per-
form 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March
8, at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield. $10
members/$15 nonmembers.
(248) 432-5577.

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313.833.3237

www.dia.orgIcIft

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mourns the loss of lives and destruc-
tion of synagogues in the place of his
youth because of the Nazis.
"Our city had a large Jewish popu-
lation, and each of the synagogues
became a school. That was a strange
experience and took away some of
the mystery of going into a syna-
gogue. The reverence was not there
anymore.
"Because of the persecution so
early in my life, I have come to
question religion. While I think we
need a higher power of belief, I
remain disappointed in the division
religions bring among people and
the hatred that can be created
because of that.
"Instead of uniting people, reli-
gions have left people with wars and
other horrors."

Etrog, who continues his work in
many artistic disciplines, is planning
a book exploring his projects on
paper. A large book of his sculp-
tures, Sorel Etrog (Prestel; $45.50),
was released in 2001.
"I'm documenting my work," he
says. "I'm also doing a lot of draw-
ings, and I'm writing a lot of poetry.
Creating is a blessing and a curse.
An artist can never be satisfied." ❑

"Sorel Etrog" runs through March
16 at the Art Gallery of Windsor,
401 Riverside Dr. West. Gallery
hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays-
Thursdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays
and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays-
Sundays. (519) 977-0013.

Available for Private Dining on
Sundays

-by appointment only-

• Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
• Weddings/Anniversaries
• Private Parties up to 400 Guests

245 S. Eton, Birmingham • (248) 647-7774

www.bigrockchophouse.corn

678040

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2/28

2003

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