Bluffton University's music department has announced the soloists for its 116th performance of Handel's "Messiah," at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, in Founders Hall. Soloists are Dr. Crystal Sellers, soprano; Cynthia Lincoln MacDonald, alto; Christopher Scholl, tenor; and Dr. Sean Cooper, bass.

Crystal Sellers, soprano

Sellers is an assistant professor of music at Bluffton, where she teaches voice and vocal pedagogy and conducts the university and community gospel choir.

At The Ohio State University, where she earned her doctorate in voice performance, she was the first doctoral student to complete the Singing Health Specialist interdisciplinary graduate specialization. In that program, she studied medical tactics for repairing vocal injuries, and rehabilitation, of professional vocalists.

A Bluffton faculty member since 2009-when she was also a "Messiah" soloist-Sellers earned a postgraduate artist diploma from Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England, and master's and bachelor's degrees in voice performance from Roosevelt University, Chicago, and Bowling Green State University, respectively.

Cynthia Lincoln MacDonald, alto

MacDonald, who holds a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Michigan, has performed in musical theatre, drama and opera, and as a concert artist in oratorio, recital, gospel and jazz.

Her performances in the region have included frequent appearances at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Art Song Festival, the Toledo Opera and at Ohio Northern University, where she was a guest lecturer in music for 10 years.

She is a regular performer in Lima's play project, Playfair, and as founder of the Lima Opera Company, she wrote and produced educational projects for students and appeared in children's operas and main-stage productions. She has also taught theatre at Lima Senior High School and maintains private voice and drama studios in Allen and Putnam counties.

Christopher Scholl, tenor

Scholl is an associate professor and the coordinator of voice faculty at Bowling Green State University, where he has been a faculty member since 1997.

He had previously spent 20 years in Europe, where he enjoyed a successful career in opera, oratorio and recitals. His operatic repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the 20th century and Broadway.

A "Messiah" soloist at Bluffton in 2005, he has also performed Handel's oratorio with both the Toledo Choral Society and the Mennonite Choral Society in Berne, Ind. Scholl earned a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y., and a bachelor's degree from Ithaca (N.Y.) College.

Sean Cooper, bass

An assistant professor of music at Bowling Green State University, Cooper has performed on the operatic and concert stage in works ranging from the Renaissance to the present.

His musical theatre background includes "Riverdance" on Broadway, and he has performed with numerous opera companies and symphony orchestras nationwide. Among other artists, he has worked with composer Marvin Hamlisch and singer/actress Patti Lupone.

Cooper, who is also active in the field of musicology, holds master's and doctoral degrees in music from the University of Memphis and a bachelor's degree from the Manhattan School of Music.