Saif Al-Khayyat was born in Baghdad, where he studied classical Iraqi and Arabic music at the Conservatory, specializing in the Arabic lute, the Oud. He was mentored by renowned musicians such as Rawhi Al-Khammash, Salem Abdul Karim, and Majid Abdul Razzaq.
During his studies, he worked as a soloist with the youth orchestra “Amasi Al Sharq” and composed pieces for the church choir in Baghdad. In 1998, he left Iraq and found a new home in Germany, where he continued his musical studies and research.
In Leipzig, Saif Al-Khayyat founded the jazz band “Ho-Jazz,” blending Iraqi and oriental music with jazz. Since 2002, he has collaborated with German percussionist Nora Thiele. In 2014, they released their first joint album, “Babylonian Dreams.” In 2015, they won the Creole World Music Award in Berlin as the best duo.
His goal is to make Iraqi and Arabic music accessible to European audiences. He offers workshops and lectures on the Arabic lute and the theory of Arabic music.
In 2015, he participated in the Trier jazz opera “Blue Sheets,” directed by Stefan Bastian, and in the opera “Crusades” by Ludger Vollmer at the Freiburg Theater.
In 2016, he composed his first stage music for the theater project “Odyssee,” which was recognized as one of the best theater productions in Germany.
In 2019, he founded the ALKHAYYAT Quartet, dedicated to classical Arabic music and creating connections with European classical music and modern works.
Saif Al-Khayyat has performed numerous concerts in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and Turkey.
In 2016, he completed his studies as a music therapist at the IEK Institute in Berlin.
Today, he works as a composer, soloist, and member Ministeriums für Fanmeile, Frauen, Kultur und Integration in Rheinland-Pfalz. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in “Music.World – Cultural Diversity in Music Education” at the University of Hildesheim.