How does the 2007 winner of the Miss Teen Bermuda Islands competition end her reign after a busy year of public apperances and engagements, lovely outfits, and participation in a Caribbean Talented Teen competition?

That is the question 16-year-old Alexa Lightbourne has been mulling over in her mind for a while. Bright, articulate and poised, she felt that her year in the spotlight had been a wonderful experience, but in some respects it was about taking, and she is a young lady who likes to give.

She is also a talented musician, who plays piano, saxophone and violin – in fact, she has been studying the violin since she was eight years old, and more recently developed an interest in hip hop violin. Her teacher encouraged her, and also told her about Miri Ben-Ari, a young Israeli hip hop violinist, but the information went in one ear and out the other at the time.

Not long ago, while searching on the Internet for information about this genre of players, Miss Lightbourne came across the artist's website and was fascinated.

Meanwhile, she had heard from several sources that The Sunshine League was in desperate needs of funds. Suddenly, she had her answer: she would bring Miss Ben-Ari to Bermuda for a concert at City Hall and donate all of the post-expenses money to the registered charity.

"I want to give back," is how the teen queen explains her decision. "It is my way of saying 'Thank you' to the community for all the support they gave me when I was in St. Kitts for the Digicel Haynes Smith Caribbean Talented Teen competition.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning Miss Ben-Ari, who is known as "the hip hop violinist", was classically trained and once studied under the late maestro Isaac Stern. After a two-year stint in the Israeli army, she went to New York to study jazz, and became well respected in jazz circles, with two critically-acclaimed albums to her credit.

A fiercely-determined young woman who doesn't limit herself musically, Miss Ben-Ari's hip hop artistry has also earned her rave reviews. Wyclef Jean has dubbed her "the world's greatst living violinist", and, paired with him, she has produced strings for Alicia Keys Fallin, Patti Labelle, Brandy, Britney Spears, John Legend, Maroon 5 and Janet Jackson among others.

Wynton Marsalis, Jay-Z and rapper Kanye West are some of the other artists with whom her name has been linked.

In addition to the Grammys, Miss Ben-Ari won the JVIBE 'Best Israeli Artist of the Year 2007' award. This year she also became the first recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Israeli Award for her unique outreach to African-American culture and youth, particularly through her song and video,'Symphony of Brotherhood', in a ceremony in Jerusalem hosted by Israeli president Shimon Peres.

While the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. charity programme will feature Miss Ben-Ari, it will also include a line-up of some of Bermuda's best talent, including Amy Bento and Taylor Rankin.

Like any event, and particularly one involving an overseas artist, ticket sales are crucial to fund-raising, not to mention offsetting the expenses involved. As a student, Miss Lightbourne does not have the financial resources to underwrite potential losses herself, and she certainly doesn't want to end up with a debt for her family to settle. What she does have, however, is courage, and an unswerving faith that more sponsors will come forward, as well as the public, to support her desire to, as her beautifully designed poster puts it, "help our very own".

The R.E.S.P.E.C.T. charity concert takes place at City Hall theatre this Friday, August 15 at 8 p.m., preceded by a reception in the lobby at 7 p.m. Tickets (patrons $50, general admission $30) are on sale at Jazzy Boutique in the Washington Mall. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. reflects Miss Teen Bermuda Islands' motto: 'Respect for self, respect for others, respect for the community'.

Meanwhile, Miss Lightbourne says that while her year as Bermuda's teen compeition winner has been a very busy one, she has enjoyed every moment of it. Her engagements have included addressing Rotary twice, the Marcelle Clamens Youth Explosion, Tha Underground awards, presenting an award to Dame Jennifer Smith, being in the Bermuda Day parade – "an overwhelming experience" – and participating in the Digicel Hayes Smith Caribbean Talented Teen competition in St. Kitts, where she was third runner up, and wore an "absolutely beautiful" gown designed by Bermudian Michelle Fray.

"It was really great, and I had an opportunity to meet so any people from around the world," she says. "I was so pleased that in Bermuda we have such a nice Island. St. Kitts is not the same, but it has its own benefits, beauty and culture."

Asked to name the best thing about her year-long reign, Miss Lighbourne responded: "This concert. I wasn't afraid to do it. It all came together three weeks ago when I said, 'I really want to do this, and I am not going to stop until it actually happens'."

For further information on Miri Ben-Ari see website www.miribenari.com