OHAD BEN-ARI, composer and pianist

Israeli-born Ohad Ben-Ari's career began with performances as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 12. The following year, he was officially enrolled as a student at Tel Aviv University, where he studied piano and composition. As a pianist, Ohad has won numerous top prizes at international competitions, including the ARD and Arthur Rubinstein Competitions. This led to invitations to appear in recitals, as a soloist with orchestras and as a chamber musician around the world. 

In 1996, Ohad moved to the USA and began working as a music producer specializing in pop and urban music. Over the following years, he worked with leading American pop artists, appeared on major TV shows, and recorded a wide range of styles and repertoire, from classical music to jazz and pop. His collaboration with his sister, violinist Miri Ben-Ari, included work on her solo album for Universal Records. 

Since 2010, Ohad Ben-Ari has lived with his family in Berlin. In 2014, he founded the ID Festival Berlin, a platform for Israeli artists in Germany supported by the German government, which he directed through its final edition in 2024. Currently, he is Managing Director of Between Worlds, the ensemble and artistic project created with mandolinist Avi Avital. He also served as creative consultant on the project’s debut album, Song of the Birds, for Deutsche Grammophon. He continues his active career as a performer and composer. His notable collaborations include Guy Braunstein, Alisa Weilerstein, Sol Gabetta, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Emmanuel Pahud, David Orlowsky, Andreas Ottensamer, Ray Chen, and Yuja Wang.

Ohad Ben-Ari has enjoyed a close relationship with the Berliner Philharmoniker since his début in 2014 under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. He frequently tours as a chamber musician with members of the orchestra. Violins of Hope, Ben-Ari’s piece for strings, was commissioned and performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2015.

Many of Ben-Ari's original works and transcriptions are performed worldwide. His Marimba Concerto premiered in Tokyo in 2014. Ben-Ari's Requiem for choir, organ, and large chamber ensemble premiered in Hamburg in 2018. Ben-Ari's Requiem for choir, organ, and large chamber ensemble premiered in Hamburg in 2018. In 2021, he composed APOPLEXY for the International Violin Competition in Stuttgart. His song cycle Paterson, for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, premiered in Ingolstadt in 2025 and was subsequently performed in Hamburg with Magdalena Kožená.