The New York City Gay Men's Chorus (NYCGMC) saluted the season in style with a diverse and dynamic "Holiday Spectacular," led by experienced and inspiring Music Director Gary Miller, at Carnegie Hall on December 11. There was music, familiar and rare, celebrating Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa, some of it with illustrious guest artists; some in English and some in other tongues; some of it serious and some, very silly indeed-and all of it to be treasured. Tom McGillis served as interpreter for the hearing-impaired.

The choristers welcomed us sonorously with a rousing, then gentle, contemporary, organ (courtesy of Barry Oliver), piano (thanks to Chip Prince) and percussion (Bruce Doctor, Michael Osrowitz and Dan Gross)-accompanied "Gloria," by Randol Alan Bass, followed by a jubilant Dutch, early-Renaissance "Hodie Christus natus est," by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. Honoring Chanukah was Leo Low's haunting "Liktelekh" ("Little Lights"), about lighting the candles on the menorah, in Gary Aldrich's English translation of Morris Rosenfield's Yiddish lyric and Larry Moore's arrangement. "Harps of Gold," a mellifluous medley, arranged by Robert Seeley, included "Angels We Have Heard on High," "The First Noël," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and an audience sing-along of "O Come All Ye Faithful."

A couple of groups associated with NYCGMC made impressive showings here. The Ambassador Chorus, led by Casey J. Hayes, offered a polished, largely a cappella 12th century "Wexford Carol," replete with high head tone, in the late Dean X Johnson's edition. In an intriguing intergenerational effort, the Youth Pride Chorus (YPC), singing Amanda McBroom's "The Rose," blended voices with NYCGMC, responding with Michael Praetorius' "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," from the 15th century. With Jonnah Speidel at the piano, and YPC Music Director Wes Webb sharing conducting duties with Miller, YPC delivered a pair of fervent rocking, very political pieces, Dale, DeVille, Michaels, and Rocket's "Something to Believe In" and, in Webb's arrangement, Alicia Mathewson's "Deliver Me," with poised soloists Fernando Albear, Gus Weinstein, Dom Darby, and Flora Gonzalez, and the full chorus joining in at the end of the latter.

Charles Busch

After a lilting, piano, castanet and other percussion-accompanied, Spanish-language "Esta Noche," in Cunningham and Hill's version, came the first of the frothier moments of the evening. After claiming that a tenor soloist had been engaged, but had turned out to be "Mary Cheney's sperm donor and had taken to his bed," Miller led his forces in a choral backup, exclusively, to Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night"-hold Scott Warrender responsible for this one-all the "shoo-be-do"s and "sha-la-la-la"s-which was nothing compared to the havoc wrought by the "glamorous" actor/actress/director/playwright Charles Busch and the choristers in Eric Lane Barnes' "Forgotten Carols from Other Lands" and "Forgotten Hanukkah Carols"!

In the former, the inimitable Busch took us on a whirlwind world tour through his love life--his loves all met unfortunate ends, but, fortunately, left him their fortunes--from Canada-where, "because of the exchange rate," there are only "Eight Days of Christmas," but such blessings as "universal health care" and "a maple leaf"-to Scotland-leading to a choral paean to haggis-to Luxembourg, Australia, and Sweden-for "You Are a Christmas Star" to the tune of ABBA's "Dancing Queen"! Doing a similar number on Chanukah, Busch queried, to the melody of "Angels We Have Heard on High," "What happened to your appetite?/ I made this kugel just for you!" with a choral response of "Oy, gevalt!" employing the notes of the "Gloria" section. "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentile Men," to a beat out of "Fiddler on the Roof," was another highlight of this segment.

Between Busch appearances came a grandly resounding Charles-Marie Widor organ toccata, played by Oliver, with the chorus intoning, over it, "Christus natus est," in William Ferris' edition, adapted by David Maddux; "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," per arranger Kelly Crandell, with audience sing-along; and Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," in Roy Ringwald's version, under guest conductor Lindy Linder, with the additional assistance of pianist Kenneth Gartman.

Michael McElroy

Cabaret's David Friedman was on hand and at the keyboard, assisting soloists Phil Zipkin, Gartman, and Brett Larson, who sang his "The Truth about Christmas," which begins with a few choice Christmas kvetches, but comes around to good feeling about one's fellows who just want the same thing: "Hope."

A cute "The Annoying Drummer Boy"-blame Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, arranger Barnes and stage director Greg Edwards for this one-in which "the Ringo Starr of Bethlehem" (Ray Sheen) refuses to allow an exhausted Mary (Paul Maulucci) and Joseph (Garret Lambert) a truly "Silent Night"-was juxtaposed with the choristers' fervent and festive account of Harry Simeone's "The Little Drummer Boy," in a version by Maddux, with prominent organ participation.

A tribute to Kwanzaa found chorus members singing and drumming in an upbeat "Harambee," by Joseph Jennings, which was followed by a spirited, swinging "Go Tell It on the Mountain," sung by Broadway's Michael McElroy and NYCGMC, with Joseph Joubert at the piano.

A new group, the MENhattans, sporting top hats, canes, and a good deal of Christmas red, joined chorus members in hoofing and kicking, in Radio City Music Hall's Ann Cooley-Presley's choreography, for "Take Me Back to Manhattan," "Christmas in Manhattan," the Kander & Ebb "New York, New York," and the Handel "Hallelujah!" for this rich holiday treat's grand finale. NYCGMC's touching encore was Franz Guber's "Silent Night, with verses in English, German ("Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht"), and sign language.

The chorus' season continues, under Hayes, with "Classically NYCGMC," including music by Bach, Strauss and Offenbach, at Merkin Hall (129 West 67th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) on March 11 and 12-call 212/501-3330 for tickets-and "Take the A Train," a salute to gay jazz composer and arranger Billy Strayhorn, written and directed by Broadway's Joanna Gleason, with arrangements by Alan Broadbent, at the Nokia Theatre (1515 Broadway at 44th Street) on a June date to be announced-call 212/307-4100 or go to www.Ticketmaster.com for tickets. Tickets for both events are priced from $30 to 67. For information, call 212/344-1777 or go to www.nycgmc.org.