HOLIDAY ATTIRE—The male quartet the Swag Cats (Matt Case, Jackson Luper, Steven Barrus and J.T. Chapple) perform with the Newbury Park High School choir. TIMOTHY RYUGO/Special to the Acorn With all the pageantry that goes into many high school holiday concerts—some overflowing with dancing Frostys and “Glee”- ful show choirs—it’s always nice to attend a performance by the Newbury Park High School Choir because you know that director John Sargent will stick to the basics.

In addition to relying mainly on his ensembles standing on risers, Sargent is also the only one who emphasizes individual performers in a recital-styled setting.

This doesn’t mean that the concerts are stiff, classical-style events. Far from it. “Sarge,” as he is fondly referred to by his students, always balances his programs, alternating traditional holiday favorites with contemporary works and a few moreanimated romps—the extra shot of cinnamon in the cider.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE—John Sargent leads the Newbury Park High School choir. TIMOTHY RYUGO/Special to the Acorn With potted poinsettias lining the stage, the Panther Chamber Singers (the men garbed in sharp tuxedos and the women in stylish black gowns) started off the concert with “Carol of the Bells,” a song that demands crisp enunciation and attention to dynamics, setting the tone for the disciplined work that was to follow.

Harmonious arrangements of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans’ “Silver Bells” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” brightened up the Chamber Singers’ set, counterbalanced by Peter Schickele’s impish “Throw the Yule Log On, Uncle John,” which tells of a besotted relative’s antics at holiday time. Schickele hated seeing choirs stand stiffly in place, so there’s plenty of physical schtick for the singers in this number. The climax features all four voices singing entirely different material at the same time.

The Women’s Ensemble followed with a set of three songs, highlighted by the lovely “Deo Gracias,” whose 15th-century text was included in English composer Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols.”

The bulk of the concert featured solo singers and small vocal ensembles. Highlights included Jessica Curtis’ sweet rendition of Randall Thompson’s “Lullaby” (Upon My Lap My Sov’reign Sits); Connor Simmons’ “Christmas Lights,” by the English alt-rock band Coldplay; and a barbershop-styled arrangement of “Jingle Bell Rock,” featuring Savannah Fisch, Cara Blaxton, Anessa Buff and Adrianna Audenino.

A male quartet called the Swag Cats finished up the specialty set with a nifty rendition of “White Christmas,” including a rarely heard verse. Group members Matt Case, Jackson Luper, Steven Barrus and J.T. Chapple wore whimsically incongruous outfits consisting of Christmas and Hanukkah sweaters (one had a menorah on it) over tuxedo shirts and bow ties, along with pajama bottoms.

The assembled Concert Choir ended the program with a set that included two songs by prolific choir composer John Rutter, two contemporary carols by William Schoenfeld and Brent Pierce, a spiritual, and “Hanerot Halalu,” a song for Hanukkah written by Baruch Cohon.

Two works by Georg Frideric Handel were also featured: “Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates” (Psalm 24) and the “Hallelujah” chorus from “Messiah,” a school choir tradition.

As is the custom, the opening strains of “Hallelujah” brought most of the audience to its feet, a practice that dates back to the premiere of the work in 1743, when it is said that King George II was the first to stand up to honor the work.

Although the king’s appearance has never been verified, the tradition remains. Boston Globe music critic Michael Steinberg described the phenomenon as “a silent showdown between the secularists who resolutely refuse to stand . . . and the traditionalists who rebuke them with looks of poison.’’

Without taking sides, I can only say that this brought the concert to a more than resolutely satisfying conclusion.