Always a highlight of the holiday season, the New York City Gay Men's Chorus' (NYCGMC) Holiday Spectacular, "Celebrate Me Home," at Carnegie Hall on December 9, kicking off the chorus' 29th season, proved once again a concert of many and varied musical splendors and surprises, under the accomplished baton of Artistic Director Dr. Charles Beale. Pianist Chip Young served as accompanist, Broadway's Joanna Gleason was the stage director, and Tom McGillis signed the proceedings for the hearing impaired.

After greeting audience members personally prior to the concert, choristers in the aisles joined the choristers on stage to welcome us further with a resonant a cappella "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" and rejoice in Renaissance song "Gaudete," from "Piae Cantiones." They began Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in a hush, before cutting loose and rocking it, with the assistance of three glitzy, Supremes-style divas.

To honor Chanukah, the singers offered a reflective setting of "Shehekianu," the prayer for protection and preservation, chanted among other times, on the holiday's first night, before kindling the first light on the menorah. It was the first of several numbers punctuated by an instrumental solo by a player in the assisting eight-piece orchestra. Kwanzaa comes in December as well and NYCGMC proffered two South African songs, a lively traditional "Ke Nale Monna" (I have a man), resoundingly sung to the accompaniment of a huge drum, and a moving "Homeless," by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. From there, it was but a short jump to a rollicking African-American traditional children's song, "Children, Go Where I Send Thee."

photo courtesy of NYCGMC
Dr. Charles Beale

To guitar accompaniment, chorus ensemble Consort of Voices delivered a most dulcet "Lute Book Lullaby," which was followed by the full complement's quietly reverent "Three Basque Carols" of Xavier Busto, the first a lilting "Gabon miresgarriak" (The gentle voice of the night), with tenor solo by Toti Cruz.

The chorus hosted guests from Broadway musical "[title of show]," with Heidi Blickenstaff's vibrant "Christmas Song," by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells, interrupted by Susan Blackwell's story of the Christmas pageant and other drama and laughter, direct from the third grade, with Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen's assistance, after which Blickenstaff resumed exactly where ("turkey and some mistletoe") she left off. Beale was at the piano. Prince, for his part, took a turn conducting, from the piano, presiding over a pair of seasonal songs by Broadway composers, a cheerful "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas," by Meredith Willson, and swinging "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," of Irving Berlin.

The chorus' rendition of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" came complete with a whip-wielding reindeer prancing. Turning to music in Spanish, from the Caribbean, the singers gave us a pulsating "Llega la Navidad" (Christmas is coming), a merengue, by Ramón Díaz, from the Dominican Republic, and Cuban composer Hilario Durán's arrangement of James Lord Pierpont's "Jingle Bells" as "Cascabel," with the Supremes, the deer, and other dancers joining in.

One traditional part of NYCGMC's holiday concerts is the audience sing-along, and this evening included an exhilarating one of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with Maestro Beale dividing up the audience and assigning parts to the different sections, with each assisted by a chorus member. Another tradition is a trilingual "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht," Franz Gruber and Josef Mohr's carol, in German, American Sign Language and English, the last verse signed alone, making for a truly breathtakingly "silent night."

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth were honored during this celebration of holidays and home and pertinent songs that followed acknowledgment of their accomplishments were a touching "Prayer for the Children," by Kurt Bestor, and the program's title song, Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home," with bass soloist Benjamin Smith, who also sang one verse in head voice. During the latter, individual choristers shared their stories about the holidays, including female tenor Joan D. Garry's tale of liberating a White House party by dancing with her partner there.

A sizzling "Joy to the World," in Mervyn Warren and Whitney Houston's arrangement, with tenor soloist Michael Coco, concluded the concert and, for an encore, the chorus and "[title of show]" cast members musically wished us a "Happy New Year."

On December 11 and 18 at 9:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, Big Apple Performing Arts pops ensemble Uptown Express celebrates the season with "Cool Yule," with guests Christine Ebersole, on the first date, and Klea Blackhurst, on the second. There is a $20 cover charge and a two-drink minimum. Call 212/206-0440 for reservations and go to www.uptownexpressnyc.org for further information.

The full chorus presents "The Big Gay Sing," a sing-along extravaganza, in March 2009, with specific date and venue to be announced, and "¡Bienvenido, New York!" its Pride concert, on June 3 and 4 at Fashion Institute of Technology. To suggest a song for the spring concert, go to www.biggaysing.com, and for ticket information, go to www.nycgmc.org.