She grew up in a comfortable Chicago suburb not really knowing what her ethnic heredity entailed. Then Dena El Saffar delved deep into her Iraqi roots. Along the way she became a classically trained musician, specializing in the stringed instruments. Dena now leads the Salaam Band and is part of a number of other performance ensembles. She incorporates a wide variety of musical styles into her work, including influences from West Asia, the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, and even western pop.

Hosts Michael Glab and Tristra Newyear chat with Bloomington’s most fascinating people.