Musician, stage director, opera singer, librettist, playwright, actor, commedia dell’arte artist, pianist and choral conductor, Karen Saillant has 40 plus years creating, directing, producing and performing in classic and original works of art, as well as training others to perform in them.

Karen has starred in regional opera houses in Europe and the US. She has receiving standing ovations and rave reviews for her artistry and ability to communicate in newspapers such as La Nazione, Florence: the enthusiasm reached its height with the ovation given Karen Saillant. The singers, artistic staff, the orchestra and the audience rose to give her wild applause, Manchester Guardian, London: her titian beauty and lovely melodic line, Opera News: her bel canto was brilliant and beautifully controlled, The Chautauquan, N.Y: thrilling dramatic temperament, Delaware County Times: wide arching parabolas of technically thrilling singing and The German Staats Herold USA who called her German lieder interpretations exquisite.

In 1975, when Bulgaria was still behind the iron curtain, she was the first American representative to the annual international singing competition in Sofia.

Commissioned by many museums and organizations including The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Philadelphia Museum of Art to create new works of theater and music to highlight their collections, in 2007 The Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned her to create and direct a new theatrical representation of The Pulcinella Suite by Igor Stravinsky for their family concert series in celebration of the 150th anniversary of The Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

In addition to her career as a performer, Miss Saillant has compiled and directed original musicals, headed voice departments of conservatories, taught college symposiums on music, worked with the creative and gifted at various universities and schools, including The University of Pennsylvania, and worked with Fortune 500 businesswomen and men, as well as marginalized children, autistic young people and abused women to help them free their voices and bodies in order to be more expressive.

A pioneer in therapeutic breath work, she has spent over 35 years developing techniques that both stimulate and enhance the expressive capacity, as well as the healing potential, of the human voice. Miss Saillant has been on the staff of The Healing Arts Center of Philadelphia where she taught the neuro-muscular reeducation of the respiratory system through the principles of Carl Stough’s Breathing Coordination to patients with emphysema, asthma and other respiratory/vocal disorders. Her article, Breath, Your Life Depends On It, appears on the front page of the December 2002 Journal of The Price- Pottenger Nutrition Foundation- a national clearinghouse for health and healing.

In 2003, in collaboration with world-renowned Commedia dell’Arte Maestro Antonio Fava, she founded The American International School for Commedia dell’Arte in Philadelphia.

She has been directing and creating new operas since 1982. In 2004, as Artistic Director of International Opera Theater, Miss Saillant began bringing artists together from throughout the world to Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Città della Pieve, (Umbria) Italy, to create world premiere Italian operas based on texts of William Shakespeare. She has ideated, directed and produced 5 world premieres in 5 years. In 2007, her new opera also opened the theater season in Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto, Italy.

Karen was a full scholarship student at Indiana University and Temple University, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree.

Miss Saillant did graduate work in Italy at L’Accademia Chigianna, and L’Universita degli Studi, Siena, and L’Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome. She received her Masters of Music degree from Combs College of Music, the alma mater of Vincent Persichetti. Recipient of numerous grants from Foundations including The Philadelphia Foundation, The Presser Foundation , The Independence Foundation, The American Composer’s Forum and The Hersig Family Foundation, her performances have been broadcast worldwide over Voice of America.

In November 2008, she will inaugurate Primo Festival Internazionale di Musica Lirica in Sardinia as co-artistic director.

In June 2009, she will bring Romeo e Giulietta, by Emily Wong, the opera she originally premiered in Italy, to Philadelphia, for its American premiere.

In July 2009, Iago, a new opera by Italian composer, Carlo Pedini, based on the Shakespeare character and a story that Ms. Saillant and her son, Christian Bygott, created, will have a showcase at The Niagara International Chamber Music Festival, Canada and in August have its world premiere in Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Città della Pieve.