Handel and ‘Jingle Bells’ and Rock : It’s a season filled with music in the Valley, with the likes of the classic ‘Messiah,’ traditional Yuletide carols and the ‘KROQ Acoustic Christmas.’

Musical traditions old and new will converge in the San Fernando Valley again this holiday season, filling local venues with live performances of the timeless carols and classical works, along with some modern rock by the likes of Belly and Porno for Pyros.

For several area classical music ensembles, the holiday programs offer an opportunity to reach out to those in the audience who might not otherwise get out to hear the music of Handel and Mozart.

“Our holiday show is always the biggest thing that we do,” said John Alexander, conductor of the Angeles Chorale, which will be performing at Glendale High School Auditorium Dec. 11. “Holidays and music and singing are synonymous. It’s usually from that program that we build our audience for other programs.”

The annual holiday music programs offered by the Angeles Chorale (formerly the Valley Master Chorale) and others very often are sellouts well in advance of the performances. But few tickets move as fast as those for the “KROQ Acoustic Christmas,” which presents popular modern rock artists in an unusual acoustic setting Dec. 11 and 12 at the Universal Amphitheatre.

Confirmed participants in this year’s show include Belly, Blind Melon, Cracker, Porno for Pyros, Rage Against the Machine and the Violent Femmes. Names of other performers were unavailable at press time. Like last year’s event, the concert has been expanded to two nights, and some artists will perform on both dates.

Sponsored by KROQ-FM (106.7), the annual program also is a fund-raiser for selected charities. Last year, the “Acoustic Christmas” raised $90,000 and sent portions to Heal the Bay and the L.A. Countrywide Coalition to End Homelessness.

“It has a very giving holiday feel,” said Stacie Seifrit, marketing director for KROQ. “The KROQ listeners not only hear great music, but it’s also in the spirit of giving. . . . The bands are so into it, it’s incredible.”

Kevin Weatherly, KROQ’s program director, said these chart-topping acts participate in the show to help the charities, but also in recognition of the station’s support for their music. “The show over the last few years has built up a reputation and it’s something the fans and bands look forward to doing,” he said.

Admission to the “KROQ Acoustic Christmas” is $25 each night, and both nights already have sold out. But the station will be giving away other tickets to listeners.

Another holiday event at the Universal Amphitheatre is the series of shows singer Barry Manilow brings to the venue Dec. 27 through Jan. 1 in celebration of New Year’s Eve. Tickets range from $30 to $42.50.

Tickets for both amphitheatre events are available through TicketMaster (213) 480-3232.

For those looking for a more traditional holiday music experience, there is much else to choose from. Among those are:

* The newly renamed Angeles Chorale will perform “Noel! Noel!,” a two-hour concert of new and old classical works celebrating the holiday season. The program includes many traditional pieces, along with such newer works as Minnesota composer Dominick Argento’s “Gloria” and the Los Angeles premiere of composer Z. Randall Stroop’s “Hodie.”

But the evening’s highlight will probably come during Gabrielli’s “Magnificat,” which will have the 150-voice chorale divided into three sections, surrounding the audience. “It’s really quite an extraordinary effect,” Alexander said. “It’s how it was originally done in Venice. I think the audience is really going to love it. It makes them feel like they are part of the experience.”

The holiday show also marks the first appearance of the chorale under its new name, which the group hopes will lead to a broader recognition. The former Valley Master Chorale had already earned some international accolades, most dramatically during its tour of China and Hong Kong to perform Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.”

Alexander is in his sixth year with the group. “Singing under John Alexander is an incredible experience,” said Julie Bussell, administrator for the chorale and a singer in the chorale. “I’ve seen the chorale grow artistically to a point that I’m extremely proud to be in the position I’m in. We’ve got some great voices in the group.”

“Noel! Noel!” begins at 8 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Glendale High School Auditorium, 1440 E. Broadway. Tickets are $9-$25. For more information, call (818) 885-3365.

* On Dec. 10 at Adat Ari El Synagogue in North Hollywood, new Cantor Ira Bigeleisen will present Handel’s “Judas Maccabaeus,” which tells the story of Hanukkah. It’s to be performed as part of a regular holiday service by the synagogue’s 25-voice Senior Choir and soloists, as conducted by Noreen Greene.

The 8 p.m. Hanukkah program is actually just the latest in a series of monthly music events that Bigeleisen has begun since arriving at the synagogue four months ago from New York’s musically active Park Avenue Synagogue. That temple’s history includes commissioning works by Leonard Bernstein and Kurt Weill. “I’m trying to create my own version of that here,” Bigeleisen said.

The Handel performance in North Hollywood was requested by the synagogue’s rabbi, “which was met by enthusiastic support from the choir,” Bigeleisen said.

He added, “I wanted to challenge the choir and give them some real meat, and give them something they could have some fun with.”

The synagogue is located at 12020 Burbank Blvd. Admission is free. For more information, call (818) 766-9426.

* The absence of funding will mean the absence of the annual Cal State Northridge productions of “A Christmas Carol” by the school’s theater department, and the “Madrigal Feast” dinner by the CSUN music department. But the university is hoping to fill that gap with “A Traditional Family Christmas,” which is offers a mixture of music and drama, and a “Latino Holiday Celebration.”

“We always have had something going in the theater and music departments during the holidays,” said Jan Bryant, associate producer of the CSUN School of the Arts Guest Artist Series. “And we’ve always had a good response from the community. So we felt we had to do something--we couldn’t let them down.”

“Latino Holiday Celebration” will feature a concert by Mexican harpist Alberto de la Rosa, Mariachi Mestizo and Marimba Internacional, along with pinata breaking.

The program begins at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 in the University Student Union. Tickets are $12 general, $8 for students and seniors, and $6 for children. Call (818) 885-2488.

“A Traditional Family Christmas” will offer caroling and sing-alongs with the Cantori Domino chorale ensemble, and readings from “A Christmas Carol” by actor John Cypher, of television’s “Major Dad.” A CSUN jazz choir will perform at intermission.

The two-hour program begins at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 in the University Student Union. Tickets are $10-$12 general admission, $6-$8 for students, and $3-$6 for children. Call (818) 885-2248 or (818) 885-2488.

At 4 p.m. the same day, and in the same room, the concert arm of the CSUN Youth Orchestra will perform a free concert for children. Directed by Jerry Luedders, the orchestra gives young musicians ages 6-to-22 the opportunity to work with professional conductors.

The free, 90-minute performance is “a holiday gift to the community,” said Gertrude Kohler, spokeswoman for the CSUN music department.

* At Pierce College in Woodland Hills, a campus tradition for holiday music events continues with four separate concerts presented by the campus music department and the Extension program.

On Dec. 15, the Extension program’s annual “Festival of Carols” returns with the 13-piece California Brass Ensemble and the 40-voice Pierce College Choir, performing a variety of Christian and Judaic holiday music. The show begins at 8 p.m.

“Every year it is a sellout,” said Kathy Main, director of the Pierce College Extension program. “We’ve had to turn people away for the last three years.”

Among the reasons for the show’s popularity, she added, are the sing-alongs. Tickets are $4 general admission, and $3 for students and seniors. For more information on the “Festival of Carols,” call (818) 719-6425.

The college’s music department celebrates the holidays with a series of classical music performances. The first of these is by the West Valley Symphony at 8 p.m. Dec. 11. Conducted by James Domine, the show also features a preconcert lecture on the music and composers at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for children under 12. For information, call (818) 883-6283.

On Dec. 16, the West Valley Chamber Orchestra performs a free concert of seasonal music. The 8:30 p.m. show is conducted by Rowan Taylor and Timothy John Durand. For more information, call (818) 719-6476.

A “Messiah Festival” performed by the Pierce College Philharmonic Choir and Premiere Chorale begins at 8 p.m. Dec. 18. As conducted by Terry Danne, the ensembles will do Handel’s “Messiah” and other classical holiday music. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students and seniors, and $4 for children under 12.

All of the Pierce College holiday shows are presented in the campus Performing Arts Building Mainstage. The school is located at 6201 Winnetka Ave.

* The College of the Canyons Symphony will perform excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah” and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” in a free concert Dec. 18 at the Valencia campus.

Conducted by Robert Lawson, the 60-piece group includes professional players and community volunteers who donate their time to the symphony. They will be joined by about a dozen singers for “Messiah.”

The concert will be presented in the college’s cafeteria, located at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road. For more information, call (805) 259-7800.

* Two Christmas musical events will be presented next month at the St. Mel Catholic Church in Woodland Hills. Under the direction of William D. Usher II, the St. Mel Parish Choir and Boychoir will perform on Dec. 5 a broad spectrum of holiday-themed classical music, including “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten and “Christmas Motets” by Francis Poulenc.

For John Rutter’s “Gloria,” both choirs will be joined by an eight-piece brass ensemble at the 3 p.m. performance. Admission is a $5 donation.

On Christmas Eve, a traditional Midnight Mass will include a performance of Mozart’s “Missa Brevis in D Minor” by both choirs and a string orchestra. The two-hour Mass with music will be repeated at 11 a.m. Christmas Day. Admission is free.

St. Mel Catholic Church is located at 20870 Ventura Blvd. For more information, call (818) 340-6020.