Miri Ben-Ari Named Next Brand Ambassador for Harman Kardon® Beautiful Sound Campaign

STAMFORD, Conn. --(Business Wire)--

HARMAN International Industries, International, announced today that Miri Ben-Ari, the GRAMMY Award-winning violinist known for her pioneering fusion of classical, jazz and hip-hop styles, is the next musician named as a Beautiful Sound artist for the Harman Kardon brand. The Israeli-bred Ms. Ben-Ari will be featured globally in advertisements and in special appearances as an ambassador for the Harman Kardon "Beautiful Sound" brand campaign.

Miri Ben-Ari, Brand Ambassador for Harman Kardon(R) Beautiful Sound Campaign (Photo: Business Wire)

Additionally, Ms. Ben-Ari will launch the Miri Ben-Ari Beautiful Sound Tour at New York City's Gramercy Theatre on February 20. Ms. Ben-Ari will compose a beautiful-sound song to debut on the tour.

"I am honored to be working with Harman Kardon," Ms. Ben-Ari said. "I feel very strongly about the audio legend's approach to music and style. I work very hard to create beautiful music for my fans and in my collaborations with many of music's brightest stars. Harman Kardon designs audio equipment where beauty and sound go hand in hand to create an environment that is as memorable as the music."

Ms. Ben-Ari studied violin under the late classical master Isaac Stern and has shared the stage with many artists, including Jennifer Lopez - the first Harman Kardon Beautiful Sound artist - Jay-Z, Wyclef Jean, Alicia Keys, Wnton Marsalis, Kenny G, Janet Jackson, Maroon 5, Aventura and John Legend. Ms. Ben-Ari has been dubbed "The Hip-Hop Violinist" and has expanded her repertoire to collaborate with artists across genres. She has performed for President Barack Obama and was named a Remarkable Woman by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011 at the White House.

"Miri Ben-Ari is the ideal ambassador for Harman Kardon's Beautiful Sound message," said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO of HARMAN. "She is an elegant, creative woman with high standards for the unique music she creates. Harman Kardon is synonymous with incredible sound and attractive design, and we are extremely pleased that Ms. Ben-Ari will help us share that message."

The Beautiful Sound agreement with Ms. Ben-Ari continues a string of notable international artist signings for key HARMAN brands. Last year, Jennifer Lopez was announced as the first Beautiful Sound artist for the Harman Kardon brand, while the JBL^® brand launched the "Hear the truth" campaign featuring Maroon 5, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw and Academy Award^®-winning composer A.R. Rahman. Additional prominent artist agreements will be announced in 2013.

The 3-year accord with Ms. Ben-Ari includes a global marketing campaign, print and online advertisements for Harman Kardon and several special appearances.

About HARMAN

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets - supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG^®, Harman Kardon^®, Infinity^®, JBL^®, Lexicon^® and Mark Levinson^®. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the year ended June 30, 2012. The company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE: HAR.

© 2012 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Odyssey are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. GRAMMY is a registered trademark of The Recording Academy and used under license. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.