Pupils of a number of schools in the Tullamore area of Co Offaly have come together to present a special New Year's show for the people of their area - a production of Handel's Messiah.
The free concert on New Year's Eve will provide a fitting end to Millennium celebrations in the town.
Preparations for the show, which involves 60 children aged eight to 18 years from seven local schools, have been going on for 18 months.
It has cost over £16,500 to stage, with the bulk of this money raised locally. The remainder was part of a grant from the National Millennium Committee.
The young people will be joined in the performance in the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore, by a 21-piece professional chamber orchestra, called the Millennium Festival Orchestra.
The show, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., has been timed to accommodate all age groups.
A video recording and a book of photographs of all participating singers and musicians will be made during the performance and will be sold afterwards as souvenirs.
The event's musical director, Ms Adele O'Dwyer, is an experienced professional cellist, composer and conductor, having worked for 14 years with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra and Irish film orchestras.
