The Orchestra of Northern New York (ONNY) welcomes one of the Crane School of Music’s artist faculty members, Colleen Skull, to the stage for its holiday concert.

Skull, a soprano from Canada, will sing This Christmastide, O Holy Night, and other holiday favorites with the orchestra when it presents its holiday pops concert, Holiday Magic, at 7:30 pm, Dec. 9 in SUNY Potsdam's Hosmer Hall and at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Massena High School.

Skull has been a frequent performer with numerous opera companies and orchestras across Canada, having over thirty operatic roles to her credit at venues such as the Canadian Opera Company, Pacific Opera Victoria, Manitoba Opera, Esprit Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, and many others. She recently triumphed in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos. One reviewer noted, “Colleen Skull has the plush, robust tone and commanding presence befitting both incarnations of her character.”

Skull is well versed in both soprano and mezzo- soprano repertoire. She is also equally active in orchestral and recital repertoire, having performed as a soloist in works including: Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bruckner’s Mass in D minor, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Mass in C, and Mahler’s 2, 3, and 4th Symphonies.

She has won many awards and prizes including the Metropolitan Opera District Competition, a Chalmers Award and a Professional Artist Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Radio and television appearances include performances on CBC Radio, CTV, and Definitely Not the Opera with Sook-Yin Lee.

Skull completed her Doctorate in Musical Arts, specializing in voice performance at the University of Toronto. She won the Graduate Award for the best research paper from the International Symposium on Performance Science where she was a featured keynote speaker. Her research was also featured at 52nd Conference of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in Orlando.

She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Crane School of Music where she teaches Applied Voice, Introduction to Diction and Vocal Techniques.

Joining Skull for the concerts will be the Massena High School Mixed Choir, under the direction of Christopher Lincoln.

Tickets for the Massena concert, which is a benefit for Massena Music Friends that provide much needed resources to Massena school music programs, are available from Season's Gift Shop, 27 W. Orvis Street in Massena, 764-7671. Tickets for this performance are $15 adults, and $12 seniors/students.

Tickets for the Potsdam performance are $22 adults, $18 seniors and military personnel, and $5 students, 6-17, and college students with ID.

For tickets, visit the CPS Box Office in the Performing Arts Center or call 267-2277.