Yara Salahiddeen is an ethnomusicologist and vocalist of Egyptian and Palestinian song. Her work examines the cultural politics of urban music-making and its consumption during the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Egypt. She is particularly interested in the influence of tarab, an Arabic aesthetic principle, practice, and repertory that valorises improvisation and musical ecstasy. In addition, she is interested in the transformation of scores and song within 20th century popular Egyptian film.