Trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer Amir ElSaffar leads four ensembles: Two Rivers, combining Iraqi Maqam and contemporary jazz; the Amir ElSaffar Quintet, performing microtonal compositions with jazz instrumentation; Safaafir, the only US ensemble performing traditional Maqam; and The Alwan Ensemble, specializing in classical music from Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq. Recipient of the Doris Duke Performing Artists Award, ElSaffar is Music Curator at Alwan for the Arts and Director of Columbia University’s Middle Eastern Music Ensemble. He has received commissions from the Jazz Institute of Chicago, Chamber Music America, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Newport Jazz Festival; his recordings include Maqams of Baghdad, Two Rivers, Radif Suite, Inana, Alchemy, and Crisis.