Dena El Saffar

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Dena El Saffar is a musician who plays the violin and jowza. She is of Iraqi and American heritage and is the older sister of Amir El Saffar.

Along with her brother she was exposed to Arabic music in the suburbs of Chicago, where she grew up attending Iraqi gatherings with her family. She began learning the violin at the age of six. At age 17, completely engaged in classical music, she accompanied her father to Baghdad and became enchanted by the music of Iraq and the Middle East. In 1993, while obtaining a classical music degree from Indiana University, she founded the group Salaam (band), a Middle Eastern music ensemble which has performed throughout the United States. She has studied with Hamid Al-Saadi and Munis Sharifov and has performed with the Master Musicians of Jajouka and Youssou N'dour. Dena, who plays the viola, violin, djoze and kemanche, has also performed with salsa groups, bluegrass, blues and rock bands. She is married to percussionist Tim Moore, and is the mother of two: Jamil and Layla.