HOLIDAYS IN THE VALLEY : The Sounds of the Season : Concerts: Valley residents need not look far to find entertainment ranging from Christmas rock to classical music offerings.

Music listeners looking to fuel their holiday spirit won’t need to look any further than the San Fernando Valley and its own wide range of musical options this season. The classic sounds of traditional Christmas music will share the December entertainment calendar with a holiday-themed show spotlighting modern rock.

Undoubtedly, the largest single audience will turn out for “The KROQ Acoustic Christmas,” with Siouxsie and the Banshees and other rock acts filling a three-hour program at the Universal Amphitheatre Dec. 21. But for the most part, listeners are being offered a collection of smaller events that continue centuries of classical music traditions.

Among those will be a series of concerts by the Santa Clarita Singers and Symphony, including a “big Christmas concert” Dec. 8 in Newhall. “We’re really packing it in this year,” said Mimi Hiller, a singer-cellist and president of the ensemble.

And the local campuses of Cal State Northridge and Pierce College are presenting their own holiday music or music-related programs next month. All of which are simply designed “to help provide the holiday spirit,” said Ann Marie Aubuchon, an instructional assistant for the Pierce music department.

Organized by rock station KROQ-FM (106.7), the “KROQ Acoustic Christmas” show presents a variety of popular modern rock artists performing largely on acoustic instruments. Joining Siouxsie and the Banshees for this rare foray into non-electric music will be rock acts Ian McCulloch, Wonderstuff, School of Fish, Alison Moyet and This Picture.

“It’s challenging for the artists and it’s special for the fans,” said Andy Schuon, KROQ program director. “Last year, I first put the show together because I was looking for a way to showcase KROQ artists and make it affordable, while raising money for charity.

“Actually, the whole idea of an acoustic show for Christmas has a great mood to it. Everybody had a really good time last year.”

Ticket prices had not been determined at press time, but Schuon said he expected the admission fee to be about the same as last year’s show--$14. “The reason the show sold out fast last year was because we had a great price, and a good portion of their tickets went to charity,” Schuon said.

Proceeds from the Dec. 21 concert are slated to go to the L.A. County Homeless Coalition. At last year’s KROQ acoustic show, $30,000 was raised for the California Medical Center Emergency Department Fundraising Campaign. “We look for artists who are willing to donate their time, and we look for a diverse selection of artists.”

The show last year, featuring Social Distortion, Chris Isaak, Soho, Trashcan Sinatras and several other acts, was about three hours long. “This year it could be a little longer. Each band does a 20-minute set. And we encourage the bands to do a jam at the end, doing Christmas songs.”

The Universal Amphitheatre is also to be host to a series of concerts by Barry Manilow that begin at 8:15 p.m. Dec. 26-30, and a special New Year’s Eve show Dec. 31, beginning at 9:30 p.m. Tickets for the New Year’s Eve show are $40.

For information on both amphitheater programs, call (818) 980-9421.

At Cal State Northridge, “An Elizabethan Madrigal Feast” offers an evening that mixes music with theater and dining in an event designed to transform visitors into the dinner guests of a medieval queen.

A room in the campus University Student Union will be decorated with banners, shields, candles and Christmas holly, while diners are entertained by a costumed cast of about 30, acting out the roles of jesters, musicians and other entertainers.

Performing at the school’s 12th annual madrigal dinner will be the CSUN Chamber Singers. “They are our finest chorale group,” said Gertrud Kohler, program director for the CSUN music department.

“It’s a whole show where the audience participates in singing and eating,” she added. “The audience becomes a part of the show.”

As many as 240 guests can be accommodated on any of the madrigal dinner’s five nights. And guests are encouraged to dress in medieval costume, particularly on costume night, Dec. 14.

Doors open at 7 p.m. “for revelry,” where guests are announced as they enter. The menu is to include such period items as plum pudding, “Queen’s Cream of Mushroom Soupe” and roasted chicken half with apricot glaze.

Tickets for the dinner show--to be presented Dec. 7, 11 and 13-15--are $20 and $22 for students, and $26.50 to $30.50 for the general public. For information, call (818) 885-2488.

The Santa Clarita Singers and Symphony will be performing a few holiday-themed concerts this Christmas season, including an outdoor vocal performance in Newhall and a larger indoor show in Canyon Country.

While the ensemble is only in its fifth year, Hiller, the group’s president, said its Christmas performances have already grown into a local tradition.

Musical director of the group is Jeannine Wagner, a musician and musical consultant for feature films, including the upcoming Steven Spielberg film, “Hook.” And Wagner is organizing the big Christmas program at St. Clare’s Catholic Church with Ken Knight, the director of music for the Canyon Country parish.

The church concert is scheduled to feature 25 singers and a symphony of about 25 players. The 90-minute performance will include Christmas music by Bach and “The Christmas Story According to St. Luke,” a reading of text combined with traditional holiday music, as arranged by Roger Wagner.

“The arrangements are different from what you’re used to hearing,” Hiller said. “It’s not something off the wall. They are beautiful and they’re lush.”

The Santa Clarita Singers will perform Dec. 6 at Hart Park, at the corner of Newhall Avenue and San Fernando Road in Newhall. At the Dec. 8 show, which Hiller calls “our big Christmas concert,” the Santa Clarita Singers and Symphony will join with several local church choirs at St. Clare’s Catholic Church, 19606 Calle Way, in Canyon Country.

For information on these and other shows by the Santa Clarita Singers and Symphony, call (805) 296-1188.

A pair of Christmas-themed musical events will be offered by the Pierce College music department in December.

On Dec. 11, a “Holiday Gala Concert” will be performed by the Pierce College Choirs and the Keith Snell Brass Ensemble. The show is to be presented on the school’s Performing Arts Building Mainstage. Ticket prices are $4 for general admission and $3 for students, school staff and senior citizens.

A larger program, titled “ ‘Messiah’ Festival, featuring ‘Amahal and the Night Visitors’,” will be performed Dec. 21 by the Pierce College Philharmonic Choir and Premiere Chorale, orchestra soloists and San Fernando Valley choirs. A donation of $10 is requested for general admission, and $8 for students and senior citizens.

“It’s a bigger production, with the soloists,” said Aubuchon, the Pierce music department instructional assistant.

She added that the program represents more than just the campus population. “Even in our band and orchestra there are a lot of people from the community that participate in those shows,” she said.

Both shows begin at 8 p.m. For more information, call (818) 719-6425.