FROM the school classroom to the concert stage, two of Ireland's leading classical singers are to reunite for a special performance.
Years after they finished their studies at St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon, friends Karl McGuckin and Fra Fee are joining forces to sing for charity.
In a special night of music and song at Armagh Cathedral, the two classical performers will be accompanied by platinum-selling composer and singer Liam Lawton.
The event has been described as a "musical journey through the story of Christmas", with funds raised going towards Saint Catherine’s College, Armagh.
It was like "the good old days" back at school on Friday as Mr McGuckin and Mr Fee rehearsed for Sunday night's performance.
The two men met at their Co Tyrone grammar school, but only became close friends through their love of music.
While their careers, including McGuckin becoming a barrister, have taken them on different paths, the two singers said they were delighted to be joining each other on stage once again.
"Our school was a really massive school, and while we weren't friends as such for many of the years, we met doing singing and through doing music together at school," said Mr Fee.
"We were among the few lads that did sing in school and then we were given a duet to do at a concert."
Mr McGuckin added: "The song we sang at the concert was actually composed by Liam, so it's a weird coincidence that here he is joining us for this concert too.
"We got very close through Youth Opera Northern Ireland and that's when we clicked."
Mr McGuckin said he "came up with this idea that I wanted to put on a Christmas concert" last year and it was "a grand success".
"This is about transcribing the message of Christmas.
"I'm very much bass baritone, which is quite low, and Fra is a baritenor, which is higher, so we don't stay the same but it allows for our voices to mix well."
Mr Lawton, a leading composer of liturgical and spiritual music who recently sang at Maureen O'Hara's funeral, said the two performers "bring a great diversity" to the stage.
"Fra has such an experience from the stage and Karl obviously brings musical eloquence as well," he said.
"It's nice being able to sing in a settling like Armagh Cathedral too, it's not very often you are able to marry the singing with the setting as beautiful as the cathedral."
